King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: Lessons from a discouraging loss in Miami

By Jackson Flickinger

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 27: Dwyane Wade
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 27: Dwyane Wade /
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MIAMI, FL – MARCH 27: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers has the ball knocked loose by Dwyane Wade #3 as Kelly Olynyk #9 of the Miami Heat defends during the first half of the game at American Airlines Arena on March 27, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – MARCH 27: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers has the ball knocked loose by Dwyane Wade #3 as Kelly Olynyk #9 of the Miami Heat defends during the first half of the game at American Airlines Arena on March 27, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

LeBron and the Cavs continue to struggle in Miami.

LeBron James still hasn’t won a game in Miami since Game 6 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. The Cavs haven’t won a game there since Shaquille O’Neal was a Cavalier in 2010.

This analogy can be stretched even further if you add Dwyane Wade to the mix. The Cavs haven’t beat Wade’s team since October 30, 2015.

LeBron has been the biggest reason for both streaks. James killed the Cavs while he was in Miami. The opposite has been true since returning to the Cavs. This game was no exception.

James simply didn’t have it Tuesday night. He finished the night with 18 points on 7 of 18 shooting (38.9%) and didn’t record a triple on four attempts. He also turned the ball over six times.

For whatever the reason, the Cavs haven’t been able to pull out a win in Miami. But, if you wanted to take away one thing from this it would be that the Cavaliers’ fate has always been tied to LeBron since he came into the league. And it always will be until he retires.

Tristan Thompson showed signs of life.

Thompson hasn’t looked like himself since returning to the Cavs. The truth is he probably will never be the player he once was as his injuries continue to pile up. But, he did show signs of his former self in the 17 and a half minutes he played Wednesday night.

Thompson was a force on the glass as he collected 13 boards, five of which were on the offensive end. He also did a good job of forcing the action and getting himself to the line four times. As a result, Thompson was the only non-garbage time Cavalier besides Calderon that didn’t finish as a minus.

Thompson won’t be asked to play 35 plus minutes a night like he has in the past. But it is good to know that he can still, on occasion at least, be productive in limited minutes.