Cavs open new season with same old collapse, plenty of familiar questions

The Cavaliers spent an entire offseason trying to move past the way last season ended. Then they went out and opened the new one by reminding everyone.

A 29-point lead. A near-perfect first half. A chance to ruin LeBron James’ Philadelphia home debut.

And somehow, a 114-106 loss to the 76ers on Thursday night. Sound familiar?

It should. The Cavs blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals last spring. They spent the summer talking about what went wrong, what needed to change and how they would be better prepared for those moments.

Well, here was the first big moment of the new season. And here was the same old result.

Look, I’m not going to tell you the season is doomed. I’ve been covering the NBA for 20 years now, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that you don’t draw sweeping conclusions from one game in October.

But I’m also not going to tell you everything is fine. Because if you’re a Cavs fan, how could you possibly feel fine about that?

The Cavs led 35-18 after one quarter and 69-45 at halftime. They were moving the ball, getting it inside, letting Jarrett Allen do his thing and allowing Evan Mobley to operate where he could do some damage.

Donovan Mitchell was magnificent. He finished with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. For much of the night, he looked like the best player on the floor.

Then the Sixers started coming, and the Cavs started disappearing.

Philadelphia opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run. The 29-point lead dwindled to single digits, then to one possession. Cleveland managed to regain an eight-point advantage entering the fourth, but even that didn’t last.

The Sixers took their first lead at 96-95 with about seven minutes remaining. From there, it was Philadelphia’s game.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 32 points. Joel Embiid added 24, and Jaylen Brown contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds.

For all the talk about Philadelphia’s star power, I don’t see some enormous talent gap between these teams. Brown is still figuring out his new surroundings. Embiid remains very good, but he’s not the MVP-level force he once was. And LeBron, at 41, is more of a glorified role player than the guy who once carried entire franchises.

Maxey, though? That guy is a problem. He’s been the Sixers’ best player through two games, and he was again Thursday.

Still, the Cavs had plenty to do with their own demise. They got away from what worked. Allen, who finished with 14 points, wasn’t nearly involved enough in the second half. Mobley scored 18, but once again looked like a player who can be terrific for a half without necessarily taking over when his team needs him most.

James Harden scored 16, hit some shots and committed some costly turnovers. With Harden, it always seems there’s something. A strange offensive foul here, a careless possession there.

He’s still talented. I just don’t know how much faith I’m supposed to have in him when things get tight.

And Mitchell? As terrific as he was, he managed just two points in the fourth quarter.

That’s what concerns me most. For all the Cavs’ talent, it still too often looks like Mitchell and everybody else. When Mitchell is cooking, they’re capable of looking unbeatable. When opponents take him away, the entire operation can fall apart.

I’ve said on television and radio that Mitchell is good enough to help lead a team to a championship. I still believe that. But he needs a true 1A alongside him.

Maybe that’s Mobley. The Cavs certainly believe it can be. I want to believe it, too. Yet at some point, potential has to become production when the game is hanging in the balance.

There were positives Thursday. Craig Porter Jr. brought energy. Mario Hezonja scored 10 and looks like someone who can become a legitimate contributor. Peyton Watson was just OK, but it’s his first game with a new team. I’ll give him some time.

What I can’t keep explaining away is the way this team gets rattled when opponents make a run.

The Sixers deserve credit for increasing their energy and defensive pressure. But that’s basketball. Teams adjust. They fight back. They change what they’re doing. Your job is to respond, not abandon everything that built you a 29-point lead.

And yes, that eventually comes back to coach Kenny Atkinson. I want to believe in him. I really do. But if these collapses become a recurring theme, it’s going to get awfully difficult to keep defending the man in charge.

Before the game, Mitchell talked about keeping things internal and ignoring the outside noise. That’s probably wise, because after one game, the outside noise isn’t going to be pretty.

Social media will overreact. Fans will demand changes. Some will want people fired before the Cavs even play their home opener Saturday against Brooklyn.

I won’t go that far. But I do feel for the fans. They watched a very good team suffer a crushing playoff collapse last spring, waited all summer for another chance, then got essentially the same experience on opening night.

I’ve seen a lot of basketball over two decades. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team squander a 29-point advantage quite like this in a season-opener.

It’s one of 82. There’s an awful lot of basketball between now and April. The Cavs will win games, probably plenty of them. Things will change, because things always change in the NBA.

But the questions that followed them into the offseason are already back. Can Mobley become that second star? Can Harden be trusted in the biggest moments? Can Atkinson find a way to keep his team composed when things start going sideways?

Most of all, can the Cavs finally learn to sustain the things that make them so good in the first place?

They don’t need to play a perfect 48 minutes. Nobody does. A few bad possessions are inevitable. Even a bad quarter happens.

But you can’t play a nearly perfect first half, build a 29-point lead and spend the rest of the night looking as if you’ve forgotten how you got there.

Not after the way last season ended. Not again.