Why We Should Be Optimistic About The Cavs
By Sam Beech
The Cleveland Cavaliers have responded well in the face of adversity all season. That’s why Cavs fans should be optimistic despite the Cavs recent losing streak.
The Cleveland Cavaliers face a tough road test tonight when they visit the Houston Rockets.
Conventional wisdom would tell us the odds are against the Cavs, with tonight’s showdown being a second road game in as many nights. The Cavs are 0-8 this season in road games when they play a game—home or away—the previous night, losing those games by an average of 12.5 points per game.
Tonight’s nationally televised match-up in Houston could be a change in the trend.
The Cavs’ win in Orlando against the Magic ended the team’s third three-game losing streak of the season.
Cleveland’s most recent skid was disheartening, as the team lost somewhat convincingly to the sub-.500 Miami Heat. Twice. The Cavs followed that up with another frustrating loss when they fell,106-101, at the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night in a very winnable game.
Losing streaks can cause people throughout the basketball world to panic and overreact, especially when they happen to teams as good as the Cavs. But these streaks have actually been possibly productive for Cleveland this season, as the team has followed up these skids with their best basketball of the season.
The Cavs suffered the first of their losing streaks at the beginning of December, a streak that included an embarrassing 113-94 loss at home to the Los Angeles Clippers on national television.
The Cavs went on to play likely their best basketball of the season.
Cleveland went 12-2 for the rest of December, including two five-game winning streaks and an epic Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs won eight of those games by double-digits, padding their lead atop of the Eastern Conference standings along the way.
Cleveland suffered another slump in the middle of January, a three-game skid that was capped off by an overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings at home.
The Cavs answered the bell again, going 10-2 in their next twelve games, highlighted by an overtime win in Washington against the Wizards.
If we look back at their championship season, we find that this trend of responding well to losing streaks continues. The Cavs won 14 of 16 games following a three-game losing streak in December of last season.
It is hard to argue that losing streaks are ideal for a team and any objective follower of the Cavs would be hard-pressed to say this team’s play is encouraging.
If we look at history, though, it’s reasonable to be optimistic about how this team will respond to this slump.
There is no guarantee that the Cavs will leave Houston with a victory tonight; the team is rightfully the underdog. It’s just very likely that, based on the team’s proven ability to respond to adversity, we’re about to see some of Cleveland’s best basketball this season in the upcoming weeks.
Related Story: Three Ways For The Cavs To Defeat The Houston Rockets
Do you think fans should be optimistic about the Cleveland Cavaliers future performances? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.