The early phases of the 2017-18 season have been a bit rough for the Cleveland Cavaliers, contrary to what most experts were expecting. After dropping their fifth game in six outings to a shorthanded Atlanta Hawks side on Sunday afternoon, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said his players should be embarrassed with their level of competitiveness.
As they have in several of their previous games this season, the Cavs, now 4th in the Central Division with a 4-6 record, got out to a sluggish start in Sunday’s 117-115 loss to the Hawks. In fact, Cleveland allowed Atlanta, who had just lost eight straight games, 37 first quarter points. Despite valiant efforts from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kyle Korver, the Cavs were unable to compensate for their prior miscues.
Wade finished Sunday’s game with his best numbers as a member of the Cavaliers organization. In his 32 minutes of playing time, the former Marquette Golden Eagle turned in 25 points on 8-19 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and six assists in his 32 minutes of playing time. Wade pointed to his team’s slow starts as the main reason for their early-season struggles.
The Associated Press
Korver caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half, but even his marksmanship wasn’t enough to erase Cleveland’s deficit, which grew to 18 points at one time. In his 24 minutes of action on Sunday, the former Creighton Blue Jay tallied 23 points on 5-11 shooting from beyond the arc and five rebounds.
After Sunday’s loss, coach Lue spoke to members of the media with regards to his team’s overall effort.
“We just gotta keep attacking,” coach Lue said after Sunday’s game. “(We have to) continue to show film, continue to keep talking about it — make sure we’re aware of it.
“You know, I think guys were embarrassed, and they should be embarrassed of how we’ve been competing,” coach Lue continued. “The teams that we’ve been playing, them having guys out, and us not being able to win. So we all just gotta continue to keep searching, continue to keep fighting, and continue to play harder.”
The Cavs are set to host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in what will be the second of four meetings between the two teams this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST with NBATV, Fox Sports Ohio, and Fox Sports Wisconsin having live broadcast coverage. Let’s see if coach Lue and his Cavs come out with a renewed intensity.