Kyrie Irving didn’t say the words “team meeting” on Thursday, but he implied that one took place after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 99-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Irving told reporters that the Cavaliers’ “took a step forward” after the game, and LeBron James said the team was in a “bad spot.”
From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
“We’re just in a bad spot right now. Not disappointed with the effort. We’re just in a bad spot,” James said following the Cavs’ fifth loss in the past seven games. “We’re going to try to figure it out. ... I think the effort was there. I just don’t think the concentration for as close to 48 minutes is there yet. Which is unfortunate.”
…
“Every journey’s different. When you’re in it, it absolutely sucks, when you’re in a rut like this,” Irving said. “We’re taking steps forward. After the game we took a step forward.”
Irving declined to elaborate on what took place after the game.
James, meanwhile, skipped his typical postgame ice routine, left the locker room and went to the bus before coach Tyronn Lue met with the media.
…
“To be perfectly honest, we’re probably all over the place,” Irving said of the team’s mental state. “It’s no time to kind of back up into the wall and panic. I’m not panicking and I don’t think anyone in this locker room should panic. We’re going to be just fine. It’s ugly right now. It’s real, real ugly. But we’ll get out of this, we’ll be fine.”
Cleveland can continue to be optimistic about turning things around in time to defend its championship. Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are still working their way back from injuries. The Cavs’ dismal defense could improve with a shorter playoff rotation. Larry Sanders could provide some rim protection. The offensive talent at the top of their roster is so great that they could get through the Eastern Conference without playing their best basketball. They have James and nobody else does. It’s obvious, though, that they’re not anywhere close to where they need to be.
Despite James’ 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against the Bulls, Cleveland lost its third game in a row and fourth in five. The Cavs gave up 37 points in the third quarter and rank 29th in defensive rating in March, allowing 113.7 points per 100 possessions. Irving is correct that they shouldn’t panic, but there needs to be some urgency here. The Boston Celtics are now first in the Eastern Conference, and Chicago just swept its season series against Cleveland. When, exactly, would be a good time to panic? Is there ever one?
My suggestion: If the Cavs lose to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, then it’s officially panic time. The shorthanded Sixers used only eight players in their last game, and they’re only playing for pride at this point. Cleveland’s two previous games against Philadelphia, however, were extremely close.
