The Cleveland Cavaliers have not started their season as planned and now own a 3-5 record following their fourth straight loss on Wednesday to the Indiana Pacers. If there’s any silver lining to their surprising situation at this point, it’s that they still have 74 games left in the regular season, and that some of their veteran players have already experienced slow starts before.
One of them is Dwyane Wade, who couldn’t help but compare their slow start to how the last season of the Miami Heat “Big 3” went. Although they made it all the way to the Finals in 2014, they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs, and he cited via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that having signs of a “bad marriage” as something that they had to fight throughout that year.
“As a team,” Wade told reporters, “we were kind of like this. It was worse because it wasn’t new guys. It was guys who had been around each other four years in a row. Your jokes weren’t funny anymore to other guys. When you walked in, it wasn’t a big smile no more. Guys were just over you.
“It’s like being in a bad marriage. But we somehow made it to the Finals.”
The Cavs may not be in an ideal position at this point, but it’s also worth noting that they are not at full strength yet and are still in the process of getting more familiar playing with their additions during the offseason as well. Players like LeBron James have also been playing different positions, which takes time for everyone in their team to get accustomed to.
If there’s any team that can turn things around despite their slow start, it’s definitely the Cavaliers. With a lot of playoff and championship experience under their belts, it could be just a matter of time before they get back to their winning ways and silence the critics.