The Cavaliers lost to the Hawks 130-123 on Friday night in Atlanta, and it wasn’t the kind of loss you can shake off with a quick “we’ll get ’em next time.”
Cleveland fell to 12-8. Atlanta moved to 12-8. And if the playoffs started today, the Cavs would be the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
One year removed from a 64-18 season, that’s a different world.
Kenny Atkinson kept it blunt afterward.
“They outplayed us. They outcoached us. We weren’t sharp,” he told reporters. “The playing wasn’t sharp. The coaching wasn’t sharp. We weren’t sharp enough.”
Not much to argue there.
This was an NBA Cup game, too. Cleveland is officially eliminated from advancing.
And here’s the part Cavs fans need to remember, because I keep coming back to it: The Pacers started last season 11-15. They went all the way to Game 7 of the Finals. It’s not how you start.
But through 20 games, the Cavs already have nearly half as many losses as last year’s entire 82-game season. Eight now. Eighteen then.
Injuries have played a role. Darius Garland has been in and out. Others have missed time. But the Hawks didn’t have Trae Young or Kristaps Porzingis.
Their two closest All-Star-level talents sat, and they still ran Cleveland off the floor in transition 36-17 and dominated the paint 64-46.
The Cavs look clunky. Out of sync. Like the Cavs from two seasons ago, not the 64-18 machine that played like a five-man fist.
Donovan Mitchell was spectacular again with 42. He’s Superman. But the Cavs feel a little too dependent on that cape right now. A real contender can’t live that way.
Evan Mobley’s line was impressive — 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3-for-6 from deep. One of his better games this season. The eye test still says he hasn’t been consistently dominant.
Garland had 15 points and 10 assists but turned it over five times. Jarrett Allen gave them eight points and eight boards. De’Andre Hunter, in his return to Atlanta, added 16. Jaylon Tyson scored nine off the bench. The rest of the group played fine. Just not enough.
And that’s the theme. Not enough.
This isn’t panic time. Far from it. With 62 games left, no one should lose sleep over a road loss in November. But you don’t want shaky habits becoming your identity.
You don’t want to lose the sharpness, the fire, the togetherness that made last year what it was.
The Hawks’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 30. Jalen Johnson scored 29. The Cavs had no answers. No stops late. No winning plays.
Toughness decides road games in this league. The Cavs didn’t show enough of it.
If this is still happening in February or March, then we’ll talk. For now, it’s a caution light. Not a siren.
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
We don’t have our “connectors” like Niang and Jerome and LeVert this year.. Great regular season guys.. they have not been replaced yet since adding Hunter.
We have not addressed the physical nature of the game as of yet.. with mainly the same core and role players that got bullied in recent years. Adding more minutes for Tyson is a step in the right direction, but only goes about 2% toward fixing the problem. We still need physical presence down low to create space for Mobley and cutters. Somebody not afraid to mix it up physically and can pass the ball. We need 2 or 3 more guys like that all around. We’re not initiating the physicality in games. We are only just learning to respond to it or brace for it. Not strong enough. We need some more dogs like Jalen Suggs. Fierce competitors.
Only thing is, I don’t know if those guys are allowed to exist in Cleveland anymore, we’ve gotten pretty soft in our local fanbase, to where if they’re not a boy scout they become the villain and the scapegoat. Why we can’t have nice things..
VERY WELL SAID “P” !
The Three you mentioned are examples of the GRIT this team started out with last year.
It’s just not there. Continual winnable games just wiped away by lack-luster ball handling, just not making free throws and lapses on defense. The biggest seems to be right at the rim with lay-ups when stuffing in down the basket is called for & just jacking up three’s and not “shooting” the three-ball(off balanced or not lined up). Yes, some final stats look good at the end but the game is lost before that gets padded up.
This team can’t seem to play real ball even when they get the lead! They seem to want to slow the progress with street ball & forget what got them the lead.
Sad,,, so much talent.. but…. they can contend with Milwaukee, and some of the middle bracket teams, but have already proven–can’t hang with Toronto, NY, Probably, Detroit now that they’ve gotten better, and Boston tonight??? They DID just get Det,,, so they’re starting to click a bit???? And they really haven’t been tested against the WEST Teams YET.
Long season watching, but Feb will get here fast as losses pile up if this continues!