Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 3 tank wins in 2018-19 season
By Ryan Piers
In a rebuilding year, the Cleveland Cavaliers seek to notch “tank wins.” Let’s outline the top-three such victories so far.
The score is close and the game is late. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge are upsetting a playoff-bound team. You, the diehard Cavs fan, are still glued to the screen even as your favorite squad is out of playoff contention, hoping for an improbable win.
Then you glance at the NBA standings on your phone. The Cavaliers are just a few games better than the team with the worst record in the league.
“Please,” you pray. “Let them lose. We need Zion Williamson.”
What you are hoping for is a “tank win” — a tightly contested loss against a good team in a year the Cavs hope for as many ping pong balls as possible in the draft lottery. No, you absolutely don’t want your favorite team to play poorly, especially now that the NBA Draft Lottery reform means the teams with the three worst records in the league have the same odds at the No. 1 overall pick.
Improvement, especially from the Cavs’ plethora of young talent is vital. Smiles are good too.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1073042560694841344
Yet, the writing is on the wall. It was probably on the wall when LeBron James decided to take his talents to Los Angeles. The only people making noise at Quicken Loans Arena this year are hollering fans clashing their boom sticks together as opposing players shoot free throws.
Now seemingly out of playoff contention, Cleveland hopes for solid play but, mostly, contested losses. In other words, you want tank wins. And so far the guys in the wine and gold uniforms have delivered. Here are the top three tank wins from the 2018-19 season to this point.