The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a force to be reckoned with for the past two and a half months, but even the best teams take their lumps. On Wednesday night, the Cavs, despite entering their game against the Chicago Bulls as the favorite to win the game, found themselves in a dogfight en route to a 132-123 defeat in double overtime.
One would understand why the Cavs didn’t seem to have the requisite energy in the dying embers of the contest. After all, they were coming off a highly-emotional victory against the Dallas Mavericks on the first night of a back-to-back set, with Max Strus hitting one of the most improbable game-winners in NBA history. Nonetheless, head coach JB Bickerstaff doesn’t want to chalk this defeat up to their unfavorable schedule, as they had plenty of chances to take home the win against the Bulls.
“It’s tough but we make no excuses. We gave the game away and we didn’t close it,” Bickerstaff said, per Evan Dammarrell of Right Down Euclid and ClutchPoints.
Indeed, the Cavs had some difficulties in executing late in the contest. After Nikola Vucevic missed a free throw in the fourth quarter to keep the game tied, Cleveland turned the ball over after a bit of carelessness from Donovan Mitchell.
In the first overtime, it seemed like the Cavs were going to come out on top. They led by three, 115-112, with 12 seconds to go; even though Mitchell missed a free throw that would have made it a two-possession ballgame, all they needed was one more defensive stop to seal the game. But instead, Jarrett Allen was guilty of a foul on DeMar DeRozan on a three-point attempt, sending the game to yet another extra period.
By the time the second overtime rolled around, the issue of fatigue became an even greater factor for JB Bickerstaff and his men. The Cavs looked leggy during the second extra period, settling for jumpshots all the while missing them — a losing combination. But for a team looking to mount a deep playoff run, it’s the wise mindset for them not to use any excuses for what was a very clear fumble of a winnable game.
