The Charlotte Hornets snapped the Cleveland Cavaliers five game winning streak on Wednesday night. The Cavs couldn’t match the Hornets intensity throughout the game and it cost them in the end. Charlotte controlled every facet of the game throughout the night.
While the Cavs have looked better at times under Coach Lue, Wednesday night’s game shows that there is still much room for improvement. Here’s what we learned from the 106-97 loss.
1. The defense can make anyone look great.
The Cavs’ effort, or lack thereof, has been perplexing all season. Some games they come out with the focus needed to win NBA games. And other days they come out with less intensity then is needed to win a game at the local rec center.
While the lack of intensity effects the Cavaliers in all areas of the game, it shows up most on defense. The Hornets were without their leading scorer Kemba Walker, but you wouldn’t have seen a difference watching this game. Jeremey Lin was beating the defense off the dribble time and time again. Lin finished the game with 24 points. Frank Kaminsky was also able to get whatever he wanted on offense and finished with 15 points off the bench.
2. The Cavaliers can get killed on the glass.
A team with great rebounders like Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson rarely gets beat on the glass. The Hornets controlled the paint all day and it showed up in the rebounding numbers. Charlotte finished with 11 offensive rebounds compared to the Cavs 3. They also outrebounded Cleveland by 21.
3. The 3rd quarter continues to haunt the Cavs.
Cleveland came out flat after halftime for the second game in a row. Charlotte outscored Cleveland 33-17 in the third quarter. Unlike the game on Monday night against the Pacers, the Cavs weren’t able to dig themselves out of the hole this time.
4. Consistency is the biggest difference between the Cavs and teams like the Spurs and Warriors.
The Cavaliers have shown that they can be one of the best teams in the league multiple times this year. However, there has been multiple games this year they could lose to any team in the league.
It is true that any team can win on any given night, but that doesn’t mean it is acceptable. The Cavaliers are the best team in the Eastern Conference and they have a target on their back. Every team will give them their best shot, it is up to the Cavs to match their opponents intensity.
The Warriors are an excellent example of a team that comes out with the necessary focus every game. There isn’t an opponent they’ve faced this year that hasn’t given them their best shot. However, the Warriors always seem to match their opponent’s intensity. While they don’t win every game, even though it feels like they do, it is never because of a lack of focus or intensity.
In the grand scheme of things, one game in the beginning of February doesn’t mean much. But the lack of consistency is a bit concerning. When the starters and leaders of the team don’t come out with the intensity and focus needed to win a game, neither will the second unit. The Cavaliers will continue to have disappointing games like this until they come out with the focus and intensity needed to win every game.
5. The ball movement stops when the offense struggles.
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The Cavaliers had a hard time pushing the pace all day. Kyrie Irving and company reverted back to their old isolation habits far too many times. The Cavs appear to stop buying into the offensive system when times got tough. The tempo slowed down and the ball movement is nonexistent. The Cavaliers are showing that old habits really do die hard.
The Cavs are far from being a finished product. They have looked great at times under Lue, but this game was a reminder that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The Cavaliers will look to get the bad taste out of their mouth when they host the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
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