Game Seven.
Widely known for being the "best two words in sports," but on May 5th, those words represent a crossroads for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they face off against the Orlando Magic with a bid to face the Boston Celtics in the second round.
Cavaliers superstar guard Donovan Mitchell had a career performance, dropping 50 points in Game 6 on Friday night. Mitchell, who has dealt with knee injuries multiple times this season and since April 3rd, exited the game with the same knee injury, but came back into the game and scored all 18 of the Cavaliers' 4th quarter points.
The problem? The rest of the roster combined for just 46 points, including 21 points from Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland, who took a single shot in the fourth quarter, a 31-foot three point shot with two seconds left in the game.
After last season's disappointing 4-1 series loss to the New York Knicks where the team's lack of depth was exposed and disappointing performances from key rotational pieces, the Cavs attacked the offseason by re-signing swingman Caris LeVert adding veteran wings like Max Strus and Georges Niang.
Despite the new additions, the Cavaliers are on the brink of an early elimination once again, partly due to multiple disappointing performances throughout the series, including Niang and LeVert, who are averaging a combined 9.6 points per game in the series.
While there has been an insistence throughout the season of the team's long-term approach, the pressure around the team's build going forward has been getting more and more as the season carried on.
From the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers early in the season to rumors of Mitchell potentially wanting to be traded in the offseason to the end of the season loss against the Hornets, the expectations and importance of this playoff run has been reaching new heights for the organization.
This playoff run is more than just another year for this team.
The questions surrounding Garland and Mitchell's fit still remain.
The questions around the team's wings are just as loud, if not louder following the additions from the offseason.
The questions about J.B. Bickerstaff's ability to coach in the playoffs change depending on what area code the team is playing in.
And last but not least, the questions surrounding the long-term future of where Donovan Mitchell resides and plays are still looming large over a city and franchise that have been left at the altar before.
This has been a team that has tried to assert itself as taking the next step in the Post-LeBron James Era, but in reality, this is the true barometer for where this team is at. Will the team show that it's ready for the big stage or will it move on to the next stage of its metamorphosis?
The only way to find out is through two words. Game Seven.
With so many questions unanswered, Sunday's Game 7 against the Magic represents a crossroads for where the franchise goes from here.
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