The Bernstein Brief: Look Out, Here Come The Cavs
By Dan Bernstein-
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Their 97-84 win over the 76ers was anything but pretty Monday night, but this run of 11 straight victories looks darn good for the resurgent Cleveland Cavaliers.
They are now 30-20 and just a half-game behind the 30-19 Bulls in the Central Division.
What looked like panic a month ago -- the flurry of trades that netted J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov and Iman Shumpert -- now looks like it saved Cleveland's season, with the more versatile roster allowing for critical changes to its defensive approach. Coach David Blatt finally appears to be adjusting to the NBA game, turning a disjointed set of parts into a functioning whole.
What's more, LeBron James has returned from an injury layoff a more dynamic presence on the court and a more vocal one off it. On Monday, he credited the "new" Cavs as being "hungry and humble," and he wants more.
"We haven't done anything," he said. "We haven't earned anything. Until we do something, then we can feel good about ourselves. But we haven't done anything."
This is exactly what the Bulls hoped wouldn't happen.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.