It might not be time to give up hope on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At least not yet.

On Thursday, Dec. 25, the Cavaliers clashed with the New York Knicks at the legendary Madison Square Garden. They looked sharp, shooting an impressive 52.3% from the field and 44.1% from beyond the arc. For a team struggling for quite a while when shooting the basketball, it was a nice sigh of relief to see the team showcase some consistency.

However, that excitement was quickly shot down.

Due to a lack of effort on defense and an inability to haul in rebounds, the Cavaliers started sputtering. They blew a 15-point lead and a 17-point gap, allowing the Knicks to come back and take home a 126-124 victory.

But although any defeat is going to cause frustrations, this one had a lot of positives to look at.

Evan Mobley’s return

First, the Cavaliers saw the return of 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley. He was expected to miss multiple weeks due to an injury, but returned in just over a week of rest.

He looked solid, posting 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists in limited action on the court. He only played 25 minutes, but when out there really started to come around on the offensive end. This season, he’s struggled to find consistency, but he might’ve just needed a small setback for a big comeback.

Darius Garland’s boost

The second confidence boost for the Cavaliers came in the form of guard Darius Garland.

After missing almost half of the year due to a lingering toe injury, he’s re-found his groove over the past four games. Against the Knicks, he posted the second-most points on the team with 20 and also tacked on 10 assists. He was the only player on either team to dish off double-figure assists.

It seemed that Garland would never be able to get back to full form following his injury, but he’s bounced back.

Just days prior to the loss against the Knicks, he posted a combined 62 points and 18 assists against the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls. He also only turned the ball over seven times. To see him shoot and playmake with confidence has been a nice sign of growth for the 25-year-old.

If he can keep this up, he might be able to help surge the Cavaliers back into NBA title contention.

The last positive note that Cleveland can take away is the maintained play of both guards Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson. Through thick and thin this year, the team has always been able to count on both.

Against the Knicks, they combined for 50 points, seven assists and 13 rebounds. They’ve both shot the basketball well this year, with Mitchell knocking down 49.9% of his shots and Tyson hitting on 52.9%. Tyson’s also gotten better on crashing the glass as the year’s gone forward, sitting third on the team in rebounds with 5.4.

While center Jarrett Allen, Mobley and Garland have all been battling through adversity, the duo of Mitchell and Tyson have been trying to lockdown the fort for the team.

Heading into the New Year, the Cavaliers are going to need to see major improvements. However, they are on the right track.

Mitchell, who’s a very vocal leader in the locker room, recently provided a statement on how people can make improvements in their life.

And funny enough, the Cavaliers might be able to take something away from it themselves.

“If you see something that can be cleaned up in your life, then start whenever you find that out,” said Mitchell. “Don’t wait. Don’t give yourself three extra, four extra weeks of a bad habit.”

The Cavaliers should probably consider Mitchell’s comments, especially if they truly want to contend for an NBA title in just a short few months.

Up next, Cleveland’s preparing to take on a string of difficult opponents. In the span of five games, they’ll take on the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons. The first on the slate is the Rockets as they travel to the Toyota Center on Saturday, Dec. 27, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. EST.