Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 3 tank wins in 2018-19 season

1. Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 21)

In the middle of their best stretch of the season, the Cavaliers nearly stunned the Los Angeles Lakers right before Thanksgiving. It was LeBron’s return to C-Town. All the rabid media could talk about was not, “Would the King beat the Cavs?” but rather, “How badly?”

As it turned out, Cleveland held tough with the Lakers, tied entering the fourth quarter. Cedi Osman was having a night, ripping nets as he splashed in 21 points on five 3-pointers. Thompson notched another double-double. Jordan Clarkson had one of his best nights of the season.

Still, James took over late, much like he used to do in a Cavaliers uniform. Cleveland led 99-91 with 5:41 left, but was outscored 18-6 the rest of the way. The Lakers ultimately won, 109-105.

The game was a measure of the young squad’s focus. With all the hype from the national media to the tribute video prior to game time, there were plenty of distractions. It would have been easy for the Cavaliers to get lost in the noise.

But the team played steady, committing a season-low three turnovers. It might have been the Cavaliers’ best overall performance of the season and it came in a loss. That is the definition of a tank win.