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Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Reasons LeBron and Company Should Panic

By Michael Dunlap

Nov 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

Losing The Fourth Quarter

This is the NBA, where every team makes a run. Every team except the Cavs, it appears. They’ve not only gotten worse as the games have carried on, but they’ve totally fallen apart, as most recently evidenced by their 18-point first half lead against the Toronto Raptors last night (they lost by 17).

Go ahead and take a look at last night’s highlights, courtesy of NBA.com.

In the first quarters, the Cavs are shooting 51.7 percent as a team and are committing just three fouls, both the best that they’ve performed in any quarter. The fourth quarter is the polar opposite, as the Cavaliers shoot a meager 40.7 percent from the field and commit a remarkable 6.8 fouls during the quarter.

I’m not ready to say that the Cavaliers aren’t a well-conditioned team, but both the poor shooting and the increase in fouls point towards the possibility that the team is suffering through some fatigue. In the last five minutes of games when the score is plus/minus five points, the Cavs are shooting just 38 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from three. They have just seven assists in 28 minutes, with six turnovers.

Next: The Bench Is Horrific