10 games over, once again

With last night's win over New Jersey, the Cavaliers reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season at 27-17.
It matches the high-water mark from last season, six games earlier. The Cavs made it to 30-20 and matched at 31-21 before their epic slide began. So we can be forgiven for doing the Cleveland thing and holding our breath until that little "X" appears next to the Cavs in the standings, denoting a clinched playoff berth.
Last season taught me to reserve judgment until the whole season plays out. It also taught me the value of not placing expectations on a team that hasn't proven anything yet. Last year, I viewed missing the playoffs as unacceptable. Guess what? The unacceptable happened. And there wasn't a thing in the world my moaning and bellyaching was going to change about that.
This year, I just want the Cavs to go as far as they can go. Is that 40 wins? 50 wins? The fourth seed? The sixth seed? A first-round series win? A complete, total, distastrous implosion like last year? I don't know, and I'm content with that.
Reviews are mixed on the Cavs to this point, which is understandable considering the streaky season they have had. The Cavs play with tremendous confidence for a couple of weeks, then lose an embarrassing game and reel for a couple of weeks. That's a sign of a team that needs to mature and grow together.
Right now, the Cavs' confidence is at a season high like their record. They have exorcised some demons on their seven-game winning streak by beating Indiana twice, followed by New Jersey. They notched an impressive win over Phoenix on Sunday.
Everything seems to be coming together for the rest of the season. The loss of Larry Hughes to hand surgery has made the team stronger, forcing weak links like Sasha Pavlovic and Damon Jones to step up and start producing, which should make the bench that much stronger once Hughes returns. Anderson Varejao has returned to his energetic form after coming back from shoulder surgery.
Did we mention LeBron James is better than ever? The King averaged almost 33 points per game in January.
The schedule is also more user-friendly. A back-to-back with the Pistons at the end of this month is the biggest remaining hurdle in the schedule. The grueling West Coast road trips are done.
Does it sound like I'm getting too high? I'm trying not to. The items I listed above are the facts. That's all I'm stating. The rest is up to LeBron, his teammates, coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry, who could still make a move before the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
I'd like to see May basketball around these parts, something we really haven't had since the early '90s. But I'm not expecting it. I'm just going to go with the flow. I hope.