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...in too many defining moments, what Cleveland showed was a team still trying to figure out who they are when the stakes rise.
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...the next step in their evolution isn’t skill-based. It’s psychological. It’s emotional. It’s internal.
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Mental toughness isn’t a stat you can track. It’s not a film session you can teach. It has to come from within. And right now, the Cavaliers don‘t have enough of it coursing through the roster.
The CITY doesn't have enough of it. The soul, the animating principle, of Cleveland is to be the victim. That infects every business, every company, every sports team, every player, every person who goes there.
Experience helps, yes. Pain helps. There’s nothing quite like the sting of failure to stir something deeper.
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Atkinson, Mitchell and Strus can talk until their voices are gone. But they can’t bring out a burning passion that isn’t there.
This group’s biggest battle isn’t with the Pacers or Celtics or anyone else in the East.
It’s with themselves. And belief is no longer optional.
