Cleveland Cavaliers: Is Overconfidence Becoming An Issue?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are now on a two-game losing streak after being defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-94. Have the Cavaliers become overconfident?
The world is officially coming to an end.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost two games in a row. End the season now. Give the Golden State Warriors the championship and break up the Cavs. It’s over.
This is the state of some fans after Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Again, as Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers said last season, R-E-L-A-X.
The NBA is a marathon, not a sprint. But the one thing that has stood out to me is the overconfidence of the team. There is nothing wrong with a club being confident especially after winning a championship, but they should still remain humble.
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It started Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers had another one of their slow starts against an inferior team and it almost came back to haunt them.
Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, they decided to let Giannis Antetokounmpo take over the game and struggled to play the tough defense they’re capable of. Thursday, a slow start, lack of energy and another tough defensive night led to the loss.
Are they taking teams for granted since winning the championship?
This team is good enough to overcome tough stretches against some clubs, but against the better teams, it’s asking too much. The struggles of J.R. Smith and Mike Dunleavy–who was out due to a concussion–are starting to affect the team.
Smith finished with only three points. He was 1-of-3 for the game and was in foul trouble. Channing Frye made his return, but he struggled as expected after being on bereavement leave due to the passing of his father. His five points came from the free throw line.
The Cavs got out-rebounded by the Clippers, 47-36. They struggled crashing the offensive boards all game. Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love had no answer for the length and aggressiveness of DeAndre Jordan, who finished with 15 rebounds and added nine points.
I’ve mentioned in previous articles how the Cavaliers need size and length at the center position. Thompson is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, but being undersized at 6-foot-10 is an issue against bigger and taller centers.
The league is going towards long, athletic, versatile centers rather than the Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert or Shaquille O’Neal types. Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are rarities because they have size with athleticism, speed, length and an ability to shoot mid- and long-range shots.
DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond fit this mold as well–just not with the speed.
However, in recent years, Jordan, Pau Gasol, Kristaps Porzingis, Joakim Noah and now Thon Maker types are the new trend of big man in the NBA.
It’s not just about being in the paint and blocking shots after penetration, it’s about being multi-dimensional on both ends of the floor. If Thompson was 6-foot-11 or taller, I think he would be one of the top centers in the NBA.
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His interior defense has improved, averaging a career-high 1.6 blocks per game, but it’s not consistent and it’s hurt the team.
While Thompson is just one of the issues, the other is the three-point shooting. When this team can’t make their three-point opportunities, they are a different team. They turn into a half-court team when their offense is based on transition and floor spacing.
Their streak of 16 straight games with 10 or more three-pointers came to an end Thursday as they were one shy at 9-of-24.
I’m old school and appreciate the balanced offense. Shoot the open three-pointer when it’s available, but use ball movement to get the best shot in the meantime.
The old saying of ” you live by the three, you die by the three” has been true the last two games for the Cavaliers and it’s a problem they must fix now so it doesn’t become worse later in the season.
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The Cavaliers will try to avoid a season-high three-game skid against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. They must come out strong, play defense and don’t rely strictly on the three-point shot, otherwise the early soul-searching might begin.