The Cavaliers were bounced out of Boston with a humiliating 141-103 loss that showed how far this team still has to go and with the defending world champion Lakers waiting for them in Cleveland tonight- things may not get any better.
Seven Cavaliers scored at least eleven points, but none more than Collin Sexton's 13.
Cleveland dropped back to the .500 mark at 8-8.
Swashbucklings
1) The less said about this the better, but the signs were there from the start and J.B. Bickerstaff knew it as minutes into the game and Boston already scoring at will, Bickerstaff called a time-out and brought five fresh players for his starters.
Not that it helped much, but Bickerstaff constantly tinkered with the personnel on the floor and did his best to try to stem the tide- it just wasn't happening on this evening.
2) While there have been plenty of positives from the Cavaliers' surprising start, this game showed how long there is to go in the building process.
Good teams may have off nights, but they don't have them that are so awful that the game is essentially over eight minutes into the game.
What has helped the improvement is the ball movement, hustle, and help on defense this season and against Boston, none of the three were in evidence.
3) The Cavaliers weren't just a step behind, they seemed almost indifferent to staying in the game.
I don't know what changed, but I do know this- this team cannot afford nights this bad and they definitely cannot afford to think that they are better than they are.
4) Cleveland shot only forty percent from the floor with only two players hitting half their shots (Javale McGee and Dylan Windler), Cleveland also turned the ball over 17 times and while the box score shows Boston with 15, I'm willing to bet a closer combing of the possessions that at least half of those came in the garbage tine of fourth-quarter play.
5) The Celtics did shoot well, hitting almost fifty-six percent, but much of that was open shots due to lackadaisical defense.
Cleveland entered the game second in the league in total defense, but this game appeared to be the return of last season's defensive nightmare.
6) I like J.B. Bickerstaff's move to play the bench more often in a game well-decided.
None of the Cleveland starters other than Isaac Okoro's 29 minutes, played more than 18 minutes with five players off the bench playing 21 minutes or more.
In each of those cases, those players needed the playing time- Okoro (rookie), Dylan Windler (essentially a rookie), Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince (New to the team), Damyean Dotson (role player), and Darius Garland (still working his way back from injury) and it made sense for them to play rather than add wear to the starting five.
Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer Getty Images
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