Prior to the start of the 2017-18 season, most NBA experts and analysts were mentioning the Cleveland Cavaliers as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Now, with four straight losses and an overall record of 3-5 through their first eight games, the Cavs are looking like one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, after Wednesday’s 124-107 home loss to the Indiana Pacers, the boys in Wine and Gold find themselves looking up at 11 other teams in the conference standings.
What has been the cause of the Cavs’ current skid, you ask? Most point to their obvious woes on the defensive end of the floor (112 points allowed in six straight games). Others point to conditioning. LeBron James, however, is puzzled by Cleveland’s sub-par start to this season.
David Richard/USA TODAY Sports
Via Joe Wolfond of TheScore.com:
“I don’t know,” James said when asked how the Cavs can remedy their issues after Wednesday night’s game. “Get in better shape, be more mindful of what’s going on. There’s a lot of things you can do.
“We have an opportunity to be very good, but then you see some of the lulls that we have, it’s just very difficult on our team right now,” James continued. “We’re trying to figure it out on the fly and unfortunately we don’t have time to practice a lot and do those things. And now Tristan (Thompson) went down again, we don’t know how long he’s going to be out, so our team is kind of depleted as well.”
James, who turned in 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, six rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, and one block, was not the main reason the Cavs lost to the Pacers on Wednesday night. However, he did accept responsibility for his eight turnovers.
“Some of my turnovers are trying to make the right play and it just not working out,” James said. “Obviously eight for myself, that’s way too many. I take that for sure. I have the ball in my hands a lot so I have to be very careful with my decision-making, so I take full responsibility for all our turnovers tonight, because it starts with me.”
While it’s true that this season is still young, the Cavs, who are scheduled to face the Washington Wizards on Friday night at 7 p.m. EST, will have to sort out their issues with some degree of haste.