Even going back to last season, consistency has been an issue for the Cleveland Cavaliers. There are some nights where they look like a championship favorite and others where they just lose focus and completely collapse.
With the core a year older, another year in Kenny Atkinson’s system, and new additions to the roster, the hope was that the issues that plagued the Cavs in the past would not be as present this year.
But, so far this season, we have seen the best and worst versions of the Cavs.
The Cavs have not put together a full 48 minutes together yet
And it’s not like they have not shown these issues before. Not getting back on defense after a missed shot or turnover. Losing focus after building a big lead. Horrible offensive process in the second halves and at the end of games. These are all things that Cleveland has shown before.
Take last night against Atlanta for example. The Cavs had an amazing opening quarter, jumping out to a 28-16 lead. The defense was connected, the offense was methodical, and everyone was involved.
After that, Cleveland just could not maintain that pace and they started falling into the bad habits that they have built from before. The bigs were completely iced out of the offense. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 17 shot attempts, while James Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined for 33. That needs to be way more balanced.
The Hawks also had a 15-4 advantage in fastbreak points and a 15-9 advantage on the offensive glass. They also scored 43 points in the third quarter and had three players score over 20 points.
The Cavs also had the well-documented 29-point collapse against the Sixers in their season opener and have had bad quarters of play against the Nets, Timberwolves, and Wizards. Whether it’s the offense sputtering out and resorting to isolation ball, a lack of communication defensively, or just opponents turning games into a track meet, all of it has been on full display so far. This team has played well in spurts, but the mark of a true contender is being able to play a full 48 minutes.
Cleveland has a ton of time to right the ship and show hat they can be a title contender. It’s not like they haven’t shown that they can play to the standard. They just need to do it consistently.
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