3 takeaways from Cleveland Cavaliers’ current homestand thus far

Takeaway No. 3: The defense is getting better

The first two games of this latest current six-game homestead demonstrated how not to play defense to start games as the team played sluggishly and without much urgency. However, even when they were down in these contests early, they were able to regain their focus and play each possession to climb their way back into the games.

In the first two games of the homestand, they were able to turn things around in the fourth quarters and get the necessary stops. After both comeback wins the Cavs players talked about playing better and getting more focused down the stretch and that made a difference in their wins. They could have folded in each game, and most would have just chalked it up to Cleveland just having an off night. Instead, they didn’t collapse and they turned the deficits into momentum and more importantly, wins.

That defense must have also been discussed a lot as they prepped to play the Jazz as they jumped in front of them early and led by 18 points by halftime. When you are a young team there are a lot of things that can be difficult to figure out because inexperience can create inconsistencies. The beautiful thing right now for this Cavaliers team is that they are still playing inconsistently but have been able to still manage to get wins because they are so talented, to begin with.

Hopefully, this lengthy homestand continues to be successful for Cleveland and they can continue to get more comfortable as a team as they push to the playoffs in the spring.