INDEPENDENCE, OHIO– Following yet another loss to a sub-.500 team, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue did not mince words after the team’s practice on Monday.
The 4-6 Cavs did not have a discussion like they did just a week ago to try and right the ship following their 117-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Lue said he is not yet considering lineup changes to get guys’ attention. Instead, Lue said they had a film session to show some defensive breakdowns before practice began.
“Have to keep showing film and continue to keep talking about it,” Lue said. “Make sure we’re aware of it and I think guys are embarrassed and should be embarrassed of how we’re getting beat. Teams that we’re playing, having guys out, key guys out and still not being able to win. We all have to continue to keep searching and continue to keep fighting and continue to play harder.”
The Cavs have now lost five out of their last six games, despite beating some of the teams that are considered to be their top competition in the Eastern Conference in the Celtics, Bucks and Wizards. Of their six total losses, four have come against teams with records below .500.
Last night’s loss against Atlanta, the worst team in the Eastern Conference, was arguably the worst start the team has had yet. The 37 points the Cavs gave up to the Hawks was good enough for Atlanta’s highest scoring quarter of the season. Even after the Cavs clawed their way back into the game in the fourth quarter, they still came up short.
Following the game, Dwyane Wade (who just recently moved to the second unit from the starting lineup) talked about the team’s lack of focus from the opening tip, saying, “We got to start off better. I want one time for the first unit to get on the second unit because we blew a lead. I’m waiting for that day to happen.”
“It’s not just the starters, it’s all of us,” Lue said after practice. “We all have to get better and we have to put in the work to get out of this hole. Starters understand they have to play better. They know that, but it’s all of us.”
Kevin Love, for what it’s worth, seemed to side with Wade.
“It was ugly,” Love said. “I don’t know where that lack of, I don’t know if it’s focus or energy, but—I saw what Dwyane said and he’s exactly right. It would be nice if we were able to get on the second unit one time for giving something up, but that hasn’t been the case.”
Over the last four years, the Cavs have struggled against teams that are perceived to be in the lower echelon of the league, or that are missing players due to injury. It was a topic Lue touched on in both his pre-game and post-game media availability on Sunday.
Last year, there was plenty talk of flipping a switch once Playoffs rolled around, particularly in the dog days of March when the Cavs won just nine games. And while they still steamrolled over the competition in the East, plenty of their bad habits came back to bite them against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
When Lue was asked on Thursday if he thought the team could take for granted their 2016-17 Eastern Conference title, he said that they can’t afford to.
“We’re a different team, so I hope not,” Lue said. “It’s not the same team we’ve had over the last three years. We have a lot of new faces, a lot of new pieces, a lot of guys out, so we can’t have that approach. Every night we step out on the floor, we have to be ready to play.”
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