3 reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers have hit a speed bump
By Tony Pesta
After a solid start, the Cleveland Cavaliers have had some setbacks.
The Cleveland Cavaliers hit the ground running this season. Following their worst season of the decade, the franchise has bounced back strong with a collection of scrappy young players.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Through the first nine games of the season, Cleveland held a 4-5 record and was in the playoff picture. Their solid start was highlighted by a thunderous dunk from Collin Sexton in a last-second victory over the Chicago Bulls and a dominant 21-point win against the New York Knicks.
During this run, the Cavaliers starting five appeared to be one of the most effective in the league. The five-man lineup of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson posted a net rating of plus-14.6, making them one of the highest-rated lineups in the NBA.
It didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to fall into a slump. The Cavs have dropped seven of eight games since then, with each loss coming at an average margin of 16.7 points. An ugly 42-point beatdown from the Dallas Mavericks gave the squad flashbacks from last season.
Did the Cavaliers simply get off to a hot start and are destined for another year of disappointment? Or is there something more to this team?
Rather than focusing on the obvious reasons for the Cavaliers slump such as Kevin Love’s injury, let’s look at three in-depth reasons the Cavs have hit a speedbump.