What is frustrating about the Cleveland Cavaliers these days is as one NBA play-by-play man would say, they seem to be “playing with their food”.
Like the other night in Chicago, when Kenny Atkinson’s squad were leading by 29 points in the third quarter and the Bulls trimmed that advantage all the way to one before the Cavs won. In a postgame interview, James Harden, who led Cleveland with 36 points, wasn’t really happy that his team went away from the basketball that got them the big lead.
On the other hand, look at the record over the last ten games for the rest of what would be the top four seeds in the East:
Detroit 6-4
Boston 7-3
New York 7-3
Cleveland 6-4
It’s a malaise that sinks in at this point of the year. The finish line is in plain sight and teams without a doubt do seem to lose focus knowing that the games which really count are about three weeks away.
However, that doesn’t make it less frustrating to watch.
When Koby Altman made the moves at the trade deadline, particularly the big swing for Harden, it was done with a lot of anticipation of getting beyond the conference semifinals and getting the opportunity to play for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Frankly, we can see the Cavaliers getting to the Finals, and we can also see them getting bounced in the first round. Right now, they are that kind of team.
To be fair, Cleveland can’t seem to get their best players on the floor for any long stretch of games. Currently, Jarrett Allen is out with knee tendonitis, and regular readers know how we complain about the lack of big men on the Cavs’ roster. With Allen out, that shows up on a night basis, the lack of size up front.
Since Harden arrived in town, Sam Merrill, Allen, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, and even Donovan Mitchell have missed games. Max Strus just played in his first game last Sunday.
It’s tough to develop continuity with players constantly shuffling in and out of the lineup. Meaning consistent play also suffers.
On the other hand, the old saying is that defense should show up every night, and in the last five games, the Cavs have allowed 128 points to Orlando, a possible first round matchup, and 130 to Dallas, a tanking team, and one the wine and gold obliterated two nights prior.
Frustration.
We seem to see Atkinson using a lot of groups including four guards, playing Harden, Mitchell, Keon Ellis, and either Merrill or Dennis Schroder together. Hopefully that’s an experiment because playing against a team with several 6’6″/6’7″ players will be a problem.
And this is where we advocate for Jaylon Tyson (again). Tyson should be the starter at the #3 because he brings a toughness to the starting unit and he is an offensive threat. If you ranked the Cleveland players, we believe he’s their 5th best player behind Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Allen.
For a team that has been accused of being soft at times, having Tyson out there to start a game puts some grit out there immediately. Then you can bring Schroder and Ellis off the bench to put even more irritants on the court.
A big week is coming up. Three games at home against playoff teams in Orlando and Miami. One solid week of games would help alleviate the frustration.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 