Friday NBA Roundup: Are Cavaliers Coasting or Is There Cause for Concern?

To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, what a difference a year makes.

In a vacuum, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 111-104 loss to the Chicago Bulls looks bad. That it extends a three-game losing streak only worsens the optics for LeBron James and company.

But, as The Athletic’s Sean Highkin noted, the context surrounding Cleveland’s recent struggles can’t—and shouldn’t—be ignored:

A year ago, the Cavs mail in three games in a row and the world ends. They win a title and now literally nothing they do until June matters.

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) December 3, 2016

To be sure, the nitty-gritty of the Cavaliers’ latest trip to the United Center wasn’t pretty. Cleveland looked lethargic and lackadaisical throughout, getting beasted on the boards (49-33 overall, 16-6 on the offensive end) and giving up a ton of extra looks as a result. The Bulls finished with 13 more field-goal tries, seven more free-throw attempts, 20 more second-chance points and 18 more paint points than their Central Division rivals.

If not for Cleveland’s customary long-range barrage (10-of-26 from three), the team might’ve finished its Friday night with a third straight blowout.

Then again, if the Cavs hadn’t turned the ball over 20 times, and surrendered 18 points off those giveaways, they might’ve flown a W of their own.

Despite the sloppiness, scoring wasn’t an issue for Cleveland. The Cavaliers shot 54.2 percent from the field and racked up 30 assists—21 between James and Kyrie Irving—on 45 makes. Those two each scored 20 points or more, though Irving saw his total tamped down by a rare Nikola Mirotic swat.

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The bigger issue for the defending champs is the same one with which they’ve struggled so far this season: defense.

James, for one, began his team’s quick trip to the Windy City on his heels. To pay off a lost World Series bet to his old pal Dwyane Wade, northeast Ohio’s proudest son showed up to the game in full Chicago Cubs regalia. To make matters more embarrassing, he had to suffer his fate all over Wade’s Snapchat.

😂😂 @DwyaneWade & @KingJames pic.twitter.com/8pCHyZvRUo

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 2, 2016

Taj Gibson did his part to keep the Cavaliers down once the game began. The veteran big man hit his first nine shots en route to a 23-point, 11-rebound, five-assist evening. Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade combined for 50 points with just one three between them: a step-back snipe by Wade over James that gave Chicago the first of its three treys.

Instead, that duo did its damage predominantly on the interior, per usual. Butler bullied his way to 10 freebies on 12 trips, while Wade toyed with his former Miami Heat and USA Basketball teammate.

Hello LeBron my old friend https://t.co/88s0wNOwsY

— Adam Howes (@Howsito) December 3, 2016

With Rajon Rondo registering his first triple-double as a Bull (15 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists), Chicago became the fourth team in five games to torch Cleveland for at least 108 points. All told, the Cavs have slipped to 20th in defensive efficiency and 24th in defensive rebound percentage.

Those are troubling numbers, but not unusual ones for a team coming off a banner year.

Last season’s 73-win Golden State Warriors—the same ones Cleveland upended in the 2016 NBA Finals—might’ve been the exception to reinforce the old rule about championship hangovers. Typically, teams coming off such triumphs suffer some sort of slippage, particularly in terms of night-to-night effort and focus. Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, among other franchises, can attest to as much.

Unlike those champions, though, Cleveland’s slippage has been tracked statistically for all to see. The Cavs rank toward the bottom of the league in a handful of the NBA’s hustle stats.

If these issues persist into March and April, Tyronn Lue’s team could have plenty more to worry about in May and June. The Toronto Raptors, who took two games from Cleveland in the conference finals, won’t fear the Cavaliers. Neither will the Bulls, whose 11-7 record is good for third in the Eastern standings.

And that’s before Cleveland can pencil itself in for a three-peat with the Kevin Durant-infused Dubs or the Los Angeles Clippers, who smoked the Cavs at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday.

But December has barely begun. The campaign’s halfway mark is six weeks away. It’s too early for any team to jam on the panic button, especially with a conference-best 13-5 record.

And especially with the benefit of the doubt that accompanies the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

         

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