What Is Going On With The Cavs Heading Into the Playoffs?

The Cavs have been in a funk, which is putting it kindly. When you are 9-13 since the All-Star break while ranking 22nd in defense and 21st in offense and coming off a game where you get blown out by the Denver Nuggets by 29 points, it is safe to say the vibes are far from immaculate right now. After the game, Donovan Mitchell's quote to the media further punctuated the frustration, "It's April. It's f--king April. We've got to figure it out." With the clock ticking on the regular season and the playoffs looming in the distance, there are a lot of questions the star guard and the rest of the Cavs are trying to answer before the lights can get too bright again. UNTIMELY INJURIES It has been a season of surviving in many ways for the Cavaliers, especially when the injuries across the roster resemble a CVS receipt. Nobody has been safe from the injury bug, from key starters like Max Strus and Evan Mobley to crucial bench players like Dean Wade. The player on everyone's mind has been Mitchell, who has only been available for 7 out of the last 21 games, battling through an ailing knee in the process alongside a broken nasal cavity from teammate Tristan Thompson's elbow. His numbers reflect this, averaging 16.9 points on 38% shooting, lacking the explosiveness to provide rim pressure to collapse the defense like we've become accustomed to. It's important because at Donovan's best, the Cavs' net rating is +9, and they have a winning record with him on the floor, and in his absence, they've been nothing but mediocre. If the Cavs want to reach their goals, Mitchell has to be right come playoff time.DEFENSIVE LAPSESThe Cavs' core identity in the JB Bickerstaff era has yet to be up to par in the second half. The constant roster shuffling can explain some of it, but it doesn't explain why they have a defensive rating of 116.7 in the last 21 games. Losses to the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls, who have .500 or below records, all sandwiched in this stretch, are all games the Cavs should win more often than not, considering the competition. The inconsistent effort has been a worrying trend; these games would help them fatten up their record during these current lean times, especially in the heat of a seedings race, to keep home-court advantage heading into the playoffs. WHAT IS UP WITH DARIUS GARLAND?Nobody epitomizes the Cavs' roller coaster season quite like Darius Garland. The fifth-year point guard hasn't been himself all season, with uncharacteristic spurts of turnovers, his shot coming and going from 3-point land, and overall inconsistency all year. Further compounding was a jaw injury he suffered in December that required his mouth to be wired shut and losing 13 pounds after only drinking fluids, losing the muscle gained over the offseason that helped him become a better finisher around the rim in the first half has cratered since the injury. While some parts of his games have stabilized, like his assist-to-turnover ratio and his 3-point shooting to some extent, the years of being hit in the face have seemed to deter Darius from being his most aggressive self. There are plenty of caveats and understandable reasons why his regular season hasn't gone as planned, which can be forgiven if the Cavs have postseason success, but he needs to find a rhythm and fast.