The Cavs and Spurs squared off on Monday night, in a game that was never really close, from start to finish.
San Antonio completely shut down Cleveland’s offense, and emerged victorious by a 103-74 margin. The Cavs were held to just 37 percent shooting from the field, and got outrebounded 52-40.
Cleveland has now lost three of its last four games, with each of the losses coming by double digits or more. The losing streak is one thing, but the way it’s been happening is another.
So what’s wrong with the Cavs? Shouldn’t this be the time they turn up the heat to get ready for the playoffs?
Some analysts are saying that there’s no reason to panic, and that the Cavs will, once again, turn up the heat in the postseason, even after struggling a bit in March, just like they did last year. But this season is different, as the Cavs now trail the Celtics by one-half game after Monday’s loss. They’re no longer coasting at the top.
The main issue, right now, is that the small lineup is not getting it done. Normally, Cleveland elects to go with a smaller group of guys to use their speed and floor spacing to spread teams out on both ends of the floor. On the offensive side, it either creates open looks from three-point range, or opens up the lane for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Conversely, on the defensive end of the floor, the team usually does a great job of pressuring the perimeter, and makes it tough on its opponents to get open looks.
But right now, it’s causing them to get outrebounded, and they’re not pressuring the ball well. Furthermore, their lack of a rim protector allows teams like the Spurs to drive the lane and get easy looks under or near the basket. That’s a recipe for disaster, and was the same issue that plagued the Warriors last season.
The obvious solution, at the moment, would be to play a bigger lineup. They could give Iman Shumpert more minutes over J.R. Smith, but then they’d lose their perimeter threat and could suffer on the offensive side. They could also try using Channing Frye more, and Tristan Thompson a bit less, but then they lose some athleticism.
Whatever they elect to do, they’d better do it soon, because the playoffs begin in just over two weeks’ time.
About Matt Birch
Matt manages all editorial operations for The Sports Daily. His work has been featured on MSN, Fox Sports, Yardbarker, SB Nation and Bleacher Report. Matt has also written for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He enjoys eating good food, shooting hoops and making original, compelling stories go viral.
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