What can we learn from the Cavs losses?
As the Cavs entered their Sunday matchup against the Pacers, they rode high with the knowledge that they were the undoubted best team in the league. By record and performance, no other squad was able to touch them and riding a 12-game winning streak the momentum was resoundingly behind them. Unfortunately, just as everything seemed to be in their favor the Cavaliers turned in one of their worst performances of the season resulting in an uncharacteristically disappointing loss. Just a few days later after a bounce-back game rematch against the Pacers, the Cavs entered another rematch of one of their best games this season against the Thunder. The result for the Cavaliers was another disappointment, a blowout leveling the competition for the best record in the NBA. So, what can we learn from these losses, are the Cavaliers doomed or is this just another bump in the road on their way to a potential championship run?
Is it possible in the span of a week to go from the best team in the league to being blown out and throwing the fanbase into a level of confusion? What happened to the Cavaliers? Frankly, it seems they just had two bad nights. Though it’s not a pleasing answer, when you break down their stats it seems to ring true. The real question becomes are the problems they had solvable, or are they issues which could return to cause detriment in the playoffs?
In their loss to the Pacers, the Cavs held control of the game up 15 with around nine minutes remaining in the third quarter. Normally, this Cavs team has been able to shut the door in these situations and seal another victory, however against the Pacers the shots stopped falling. The Cavs failed to score for four minutes in the third quarter, allowing the Pacers to crawl all the way back to take the lead with momentum behind them. As the Pacers continued to land shots the Cavs found themselves unable to shoot their way out of a loss of rhythm and they concluded the game losing by 15 points.
While the loss itself is concerning, the most concerning stats are the 39.8% field goal percentage coupled with a 26.8% 3-point field goal percentage. Those are not indicative of the kind of basketball this team has played all year, and if they were to become a trend it could spell disaster for the season. While the natural thought is maybe Indiana finally figured out Atkinson’s offense, in truth, it was just a bad night and the Cavs following game against the Pacers ended with a 10-point victory and a considerably improved shooting percentage.
Coming off of that victory the Cavs were looking to prove themselves again against the Thunder after a previous matchup that drew comparisons to a heavyweight bout. Instead, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the Thunder to a resounding 20-point victory, adding forty points of his own to the mix. There was no off night in shooting this time, however, as the Cavs shot comparably to OKC in the matchup. The revealing stat, instead, comes in the way of field goals attempted as the Thunder took 115 shots to the Cavs 90. The kind of difference seen here normally points to one thing: a turnover differential. The Cavs had 21 turnovers to the Thunder’s 6, and unfortunately, when that happens it is going to be extremely hard to beat good teams. However, the Cavs have already beat the Thunder recently and they’ve only had a turnover this substantial once this season, it just so happened to come against a team that was prepared to capitalize.
So, while the Cavaliers’ losses have seemed disheartening, they likely are more fluke than fact. The truth of the matter is that this team is streaky, though that may not be a bad thing. We’ve seen the Cavs go on a 15 and 12-game win streak this season and that is the kind of momentum that a team with championship potential is going to need to be able to build. Fluke games are going to happen in the NBA, it’s why the playoffs are seven-game series and not single elimination. The real test of this team is how they respond to adversity and if Atkinson can once again right the ship and send the Cavs into their next win streak.
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