We’re heading towards the postseason and while there should be some sort of excitement around Northeast Ohio because the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to make back-to-back appearances in the playoffs for the first time since the second Lebron era but there isn’t that buzz in the air because there’s some alarming concerns with this basketball team.

The Cavaliers currently sit with a 47-33 record and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference but since play resumed after the All-Star Break, which the team was coming off an 18-2 stretch and were sitting with a 36-17 record, Cleveland has a 11-16 record down the stretch.

The main reason with that has been injuries, most notably with Donovan Mitchell has been dealing with a knee injury as well as a nasal fracture which has kept him limited to ten games. Dean Wade has also been out for some time with a knee injury and he was an integral part of the team’s success early in the season being involved in three of the team’s six best lineup combinations per 100 possessions.

This past Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers was the biggest alarming game for Cleveland. Despite no Mitchell, the Cavaliers put up 80 first half points and were leading Los Angeles by 21. They extended that lead to 26 early in the third quarter but then the wheels started to come off with the lead shrinking to 12 by the end of the quarter. Paul George went off for 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Clippers outscored Cleveland 61-38 in the second half to comeback and win 120-118.

After the game, players were openly questioning the defensive game plan and why they didn’t attack George more as he started to get hot down the stretch. The fact that they were speaking out publicly definitely raised more eyebrows about the team and it’s immediate future especially under the direction of head coach JB Bickerstaff.

With the future still swirling about Donovan Mitchell’s future and him remaining uncommitted to Cleveland with just one year remaining on his current contract after this season, many are wondering what direction this franchise will take following this season if there’s a quick exit in the postseason for the second consecutive season.

Cleveland is currently projected to play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs but with just a couple games left, it’s a battle for the 4-6 seeds in the East between Orlando, Cleveland and Indiana, the latter will face off Friday night. There’s still a slight chance that any of the three could drop into the Play-In tournament with Philadelphia still looming as they currently sit 7th.

While the Cavaliers got back on track with a win Wednesday night against Memphis and Mitchell looking the best he’s looked in months, it’s unclear what we’re going to see once the playoffs get started.

Darius Garland hasn’t been consistent and you have to wonder if he’s not confident in himself since that fractured jaw kept him sidelined for weeks and he’s never been able to get into a groove. Evan Mobley has also dealt with injuries and still trying to find his offensive game despite posting career highs in all shooting categories this season.

This team has the talent to make some noise in the postseason but with question marks surrounding them from the players to the coach, we may be seeing another quick playoff exit from the Wine and Gold which is then going to lead to some difficult decisions for the future of the organization.