Trouble is definitely flowing through the cold air in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Cavaliers left themselves and their fans with yet another night to forget. Saturday’s 148-124 beating at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder was a new low for the team’s disastrous stretch, as it tied the franchise record for points allowed.
Everything appears to be in disarray. LeBron James just said he is not sure about head coach Tyronn Lue’s future, key rotation guys J.R. Smith and Channing Frye are on the trading block, and now, new Cavalier Isaiah Thomas is calling out their issues on defense (25th in points allowed), and also called last night’s loss “embarrassing.”
“It’s embarrassing… It’s not acceptable. We can only go up from here, that’s the only positive about that. We’ve got to really look in the mirror, look at ourselves and get some pride. Defensively… we’re not together on that end… You always gotta be in help position and take away what they like to do, and we didn’t do that at all. We didn’t in probably one possession tonight… As players, we gotta take pride in defense and getting stops.”
Thomas is right. The Cavs are too talented and experienced to be losing nine of their last 13 games, so there should really no other way but up moving forward.
The problem, however, is that they are still on a path against opponents who don’t seem to be favorable, especially right now. Four of their next six games include the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and the Houston Rockets – teams that are either better as a unit or pose bad match-ups. The Spurs’ and Rockets’ core are more proven, the Pacers are 3-0 against them this season, and the Heat have won all but two of their previous 11 games.
