Ever since the Cavaliers made the colossal 11-player trade at the deadline, the performance of the team has gone up and down like the proverbial roller coaster. The first game the new players participated in was against Memphis, when the wine and gold got off to a very quick start, leading by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, but the game grew close in the third quarter, but eventually Cleveland pulled away. In retrospect, that game was the beginning of a trend.
Although this weakness is most evident on the road, where the Cavaliers have lost every contest since LeBron James scored 50 points at Madison Square Garden, it also happens at the Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland continues to win at home, but they have had consistent problems putting teams away. Think back to the Saturday afternoon game played in the blizzard against the Pacers, another of the NBA’s struggling teams. The wine and gold had a big lead in the first half of that game, and needed the fourth quarter heroics of the King to hold on to that one.
It seems that the Cavs currently can’t stand prosperity. This struck me the other night when I was watching the game against the Raptors. Cleveland played very well in the third quarter, and had a seven or nine point lead toward the end of that stanza. Toronto took a timeout, and after the stoppage in play, the Cavs proceeded to turn the ball over several times, not because of great defense, but more because of sloppy execution. It is a basic basketball tenet that you cannot score without shooting the ball. Any possession where you don’t get a shot off is a waste. And to do it when you have a chance to put a team away is particularly galling.
What happens when personnel is changed apparently is lack of focus and determination. The new players haven’t succeeded in a tough situation with LeBron, Z, and the rest of the holdovers from opening night. That could explain why they are struggling on the road, and can’t sustain success at home. The turnovers that are plaguing the team is result of poor execution, but also poor decision making. The squad seems to get up by around ten points, and then seems to forget how they got to that point. They take ill-advised shots; try to make difficult passes, in short, not doing the fundamentals a championship team needs to do.
It doesn’t help the situation when Damon Jones is playing the point. Jones is a shooter, who plays the spot because of his height. He lacks the instincts a good point guard needs, and when he is on the floor, James has to start the offense and make sure the correct pass is made to the right person. This puts too much of a burden on #23. Also, Jones is the type of player who feels the need to do the spectacular when the basic is needed. Even though he is shooting very well this season, his shot selection makes me wince from time to time. When you have a lead, the need to take good shots is even more important.
In short, it means that as a team, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have the mental toughness to succeed on the road, or in the playoffs for that matter. They have 11 games to get it back. If you can’t beat the Bucks away from home (although this might have something to do with not being able to stop Mo Williams), how can you beat Detroit or Boston in a key playoff tilt? LeBron James and Mike Brown have to straighten this out in the next couple of weeks, or it will be a short post-season for the wine and gold.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 