2016 was a wonderful year for the Cavaliers. Not only did they bring a championship to the city of Cleveland, but they did so by coming back from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals to one of the best teams of all-time.
The Cavs carried their momentum from winning a title last season into this season as they've been sitting atop the East for the majority of the season.
That being said, Cleveland's lead in the East has dwindled thanks to a disastrous 2017 thus far. After Monday night's loss to the lowly Mavericks, the Cavs dropped to 7-8 in the month of January.
The frustrations haven't just come from losing, though. LeBron James has been adamant about wanting the team to go out and get another playmaker, which they haven't done just yet.
James was criticized for his demands by many people, including NBA on TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who called him "inappropriate, whiny, and all of the above" about a week ago. After the loss to the Mavs, however, James fired back in a big way, as per ESPN:
"He's a hater. What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?"
James wasn't done there, though.
"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying."
"All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."
After defending his own legacy, James continued taking shots at Barkley with a reference to the '93 NBA Finals.
"Go watch the '93 Finals when John Paxson hit the shot," James said. "Barkley and Jordan were laughing and joking with each other during one of the games while somebody's shooting a free throw. In the Finals. But, oh, nobody were friends back then."
And just when you thought it was over, LeBron sent some final parting shots in the form of a challenge to Sir Charles.
"I know he wanted to retire a long time ago, but he can't," James said. "He's stuck up on that stage every week."
"And if this makes him want to talk to me, the schedule's out there," James said. "He knows every road arena I'll be in. Don't just come up to me at All-Star and shake my hand and smile."
"I'm tired of biting my tongue," James said. "There's a new sheriff in town."
We completely understand why James is tired of biting his tongue. When people are ripping you apart, there's only so much you can take before telling the world how you really feel.
Then again, James also sent out this cryptic tweet after the game which just adds more confusion to the entire situation.
In any case, the Cavs have to find a way to "right the ship," and they need to do it quickly. Last season they may have gone through a midseason coaching change, but that was a cakewalk compared to what the team is going through now.
Cleveland's lead is down to 2.5 games in the East and they start the month of February off against former Cav Andrew Wiggins and the Timberwolves Wednesday night.
