A few days into the month of February and it’s looking like the Cleveland Cavaliers’ woes from January are only getting worse. Their latest embarrassment came at the hands of the Houston Rockets, who handily defeated the Cavs 120-88 in front of a stunned Quicken Loans Arena crowd.
Not only did the Cavs made a fool of themselves in the eyes of Cleveland fans, but also in front of a wider audience as the primetime matchup was a nationally-televised game.
After the contest, LeBron James spoke to reporters in the postgame scrum, and he was visibly dismayed by the Cavs’ overall performance.
“I’m lost for words, actually,” he said, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor. “Going 0-8 on national television. They should take us off every nationally televised game for the rest of the season.”
The Rockets had their way right from the tip as the Cavs’ defense was absolutely nonexistent. Six Houston players scored in double figures, led by Chris Paul who had 22 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Cleveland, on the other hand, did not have a bright spot on their end. Not even LeBron James as the All-Star forward only scored 11 points on 30 percent shooting albeit grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
The Cavs are simply a conundrum this season. Despite having a stacked roster that, on paper, is arguably among the best in the NBA, the lack of motivation, hunger, and energy among its players is very much evident each time opponents outrun and outhustle them — and these have come often.
The trade deadline is fast approaching and Cleveland’s front office are once again having sleepless nights in trying to figure out a solution to the enigma that has been the Cavaliers.
No one can sugarcoat this horrid fact. Instead of being a primetime attraction, the Cavs have been a primetime embarrassment, and at this rate, they’re going nowhere this season.
