The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have the best energy in their win over the Miami Heat.
Perhaps the win over the Chicago Bulls was a little taxing, or maybe they overlooked the Heat, as Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins weren’t going to play.
Whatever the case, it took the Cavs, who were 13.5-point favorites ahead of tip-off, much more than the fans expected to get the job done.
When asked about that, coach Kenny Atkinson tipped his hat to the fans for igniting their big run (via Evan Dammarell):
“The Cavs have always had a top three crowd reputation in the league,” he said.
#Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson tells me that Clevleand fans were a big reason why his team was able to elevate in the fourth quarter considering how flat the team looked at times against Miami’s defense.
“The Cavs have always had a top three crowd reputation in the league.”
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) March 6, 2025
The Cavs led by 17 points early, and it seemed like they were heading toward another easy blowout.
Erik Spoelstra’s team stormed right back, and Bam Adebayo had one of his best games of the season to keep his team afloat.
Eventually, the Cavs handed the visitors yet another loss to get their 52nd win of the season.
More importantly, that win gave the Cavs a playoff berth, and they became the very first team in the league to secure a spot in the postseason.
The Cavs have beaten all kinds of teams this season, and they’ve shown that they’re almost impossible to take down when they take the intensity up a notch or two.
However, they’ve also been lethargic at times, either getting off to slow starts or taking their foot off the gas.
That’s something they won’t be able to overcome in the playoffs.
Fortunately, they will have plenty of games to work on their focus and get better before the postseason.
NEXT: Donovan Mitchell Reacts To Cavs Clinching A Playoff Spot
