Monday afternoon was embarrassing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead of taking a clear opportunity to deliver a statement game, they sent a different type of message to the rest of the league. The Cavaliers are not a team to be feared by anyone.
On the Cavs' homecourt of Rocket Arena, the defending champions entered the building. The Oklahoma City Thunder then proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the Cavaliers. Oklahoma City secured a thorough 136-104 victory over Cleveland.
There were several times when the game threatened to get ugly, but the Cavs managed to pull it back within striking distance. The fourth quarter delivered the nail in the coffin. Cleveland was outscored 45-25 by Oklahoma City to wrap up the one-sided beatdown.
It's going to be very hard for the Cavaliers to get meaningful buy-in from the fanbase, media, and others alike after that one. Sure, everyone gets a blowout courtesy of the Thunder at some point. However, if you simply fall into the category of being one of those teams, it's not a particularly encouraging sign for any legitimate championship hopes.
Thunder exposed just how far Cavaliers are from true contender status
The cope immediately starts with who wasn't there for the Cavaliers. There was no Darius Garland. Sam Merrill was absent too. Max Strus still hasn't returned. So what?
The Thunder were missing two of their top four players. Jalen Williams missed the game due to a hamstring injury. Isaiah Hartenstein did not play in the matchup either because of a right calf strain.
It's not like Oklahoma City was perfectly healthy and Cleveland was not. Both sides had ailments. One of the two has clearly proven much more capable of battling through those injuries and remaining dominant all the same.
"Total domination," Kenny Atkinson said of the Thunder's performance. "I don't know if there's any particular phase, ... I just think they showed why they're champions. They dominated us in every phase, I felt like."
In many ways, the Thunder are who the Cavaliers hope they could be. There is one important aspect that stands out when thinking about Monday's matchup. Cleveland has preached overcoming injuries with the talent still around. Oklahoma City has lived it.
As far as measuring stick games go, this one managed to capture the distance between the Cavaliers and their dreams of hoisting a Larry O'Brien Trophy. Even if Cleveland escapes the East, liking their chances at the big dance would be an incredibly optimistic standpoint given what has been on display to this point of the season.