CLEVELAND – One week ago today, the Cleveland Cavaliers were coming off of one of their finest wins this season.
Visiting one of the best teams out west, the L.A. Clippers, the Cavs stormed into the Staple center and cruised to a 114-90 victory in which they thoroughly dominated their opponent.
It was their third straight win during a four game west coast trip and all seemed right in the world of Cleveland basketball. If you know the 2015-2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, however, you know that is rarely the case.
Following that uplifting victory, the Cavs did what they have become all too accustomed of doing, following a great game with a total head-scratcher.
The following night, Cleveland flew into Utah to face the average-at-best Jazz who were without their best player in Gordon Hayward. Staying true to their theme this season, the Cavs laid a complete egg. Cleveland played uninspired ball from start-to-finish, eventually falling to the Jazz, 95-84.
The Cavs had averaged over 111 points per game in the three games prior to their visit to Utah. Two nights later, Cleveland returned home to take on the Dallas Mavericks sans LeBron James. James was given the night off for rest and the Cavs looked to win for the first time this season playing without their leader.
It wasn’t always pretty, blowing a 20-plus point lead twice in the game, but Cleveland got the job done, holding off a furious late game rally from Dallas for a 99-98 victory.
James praised the team for their gritty win and the Cavs followed that up with a road win in Orlando two nights later as they once again looked to be getting on track. Kyrie Irving talked about how far he himself and Cleveland as a team have come this season and how they were a different team than they had previously been.
That was two nights ago, right before Cleveland took off to Miami to face the Heat on the second night of a Florida back-to-back. The Cavs, who have struggled mightily in Miami the past few years, were looking to build on the momentum and prove exactly what Irving said: They were a different team now.
Instead, Cleveland did what many could have predicted and never really showed up in Dade County. The Cavs fell behind by double digits, 31-19, after the first quarter and that was about as close as the game would be.
When the carnage was over, the Cavs were limping back to the plane, contemplating a 122-101 shellacking by the Heat with more unanswered questions and uncertainties. Though a loss on the second night of a road back-to-back to a very good team happens even to the best of them, it’s the way the Cavs lose.
It’s hard to watch.
You have no choice but to question if the Cavs even want to be on the court playing the game of basketball at times. A team with so much talent, so much potential.
It’s hard to understand how the Cavs can look like the best team in the league one night, and a team that doesn’t want to be in the league the next. While there has been many disappointing and frustrating times as a Cavs follower this season, there are still many things to look to on the positive side.
Cleveland is still on pace to flirt with 60 wins, win the Eastern conference and make it to their second straight NBA Finals. If the Cavs want to finish the deal though, this team is going to have to leave it all out on the court every night out.
Not just when they feel like it.
Here’s to hoping the next few months have a lot less head-scratching. Win or lose. Just bring it every night fellas.
stefan
March 20, 2016 at 6:41 pm
no surprise there, they beat teams that play the way it is comfortable for them and not realy aquire a system that suits them and can be an unswer to teams like goldenstate or miami, instead of tryiong copying goldenstade playing fast and small (which they cant do as good as golden state) look at san antonio, they played big and tough
slowed down the game to their tempo and killed golden state. blatt understood it long ago and with no team at all allmost beat goldenstate, think about it how wrong can you be?