Dribbles: Cavs Fall Again, And Some Troubling Signs Starting To Surface

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ bad 115-104 road loss to the Rockets on Wednesday.

1. Free throws and defense. It’s hard to determine which of those the Cavs did worse.

2. It’s easy to lean toward free throws, as the Cavs were a miserable 15-of-27 from the line. Some of those shots made the rim cringe with fear. If they had made even six more, they would have had a real chance.

3. Then again, the Cavs gave up 115 points to a crummy, rebuilding Rockets team.

4. So for the second time in three games, the Cavs have lost to an NBA bottom-feeder. In between, they barely beat a vastly undermanned and average-at-best Pelicans team at home.

5. Moral of the story: The Cavs have led us all to believe they’re better than this. They themselves think they’re better than this. It’s time to start walking the walk again.

6. Yes, the Cavs really miss Darius Garland (back). Yes, they miss Lauri Markkanen (ankle). But this is the NBA, and regardless of the opponent’s record, you have to do the little things to win. The Cavs say they know that. 

7. Moral of the story, Part II: Regardless of who’s missing, you can give yourself a chance by playing the right way, playing with energy and not being careless with the ball. The Cavs didn’t do any of that for much of Wednesday. 

8. In fact, they haven’t done it much in any of the last three games, which were all supposed to be very winnable. Yes, they’re winnable even without a healthy Garland and Markkanen.

9. Lately, the Cavs have been exhibiting some bad habits. The defense has gotten soft. The hustle plays they’ve been making all season are suddenly disappearing. As Cavs legend and current Bally Sports Ohio analyst Campy Russell said, the Cavs are losing their grit.

10. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff: “We just didn’t play well. We didn’t get the job done at the level that we’re capable of. There were too many moments that we tried to play outside of ourselves. You don’t make up the absence of another guy. You just try to be best the version of yourself.”

11. So, no excuses. This was a bad loss, and the Cavs have now had two in four days. Those are the facts and they cannot be disputed.

12. Now, before you start freaking out … well, we have all doubted the Cavs before, right? Right. And what did they do? They proved us wrong. So this isn’t quite panic time.

13. But there’s no question they need to pull it together, and soon. The Eastern Conference race is incredibly tight, and too many more slipups like this could prove extremely costly.

14. On the bright side, rookie Evan Mobley had a career night, finishing with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting, along with 12 rebounds. He gave the Cavs a fighting chance, offering another glimpse of hope for the future (and yes, the present).

15. Kevin Love was also again very good off the bench, compiling 21 points and 13 boards. Cedi Osman added 13 points, and Jarrett Allen scored 11, but neither had what could be considered a strong night. Osman went 0-of-3 from the line, Allen was 1-of-4. Both were out of sorts for long stretches.

16. On the other hand, Isaac Okoro had his moments in also scoring 11 points. At least he was aggressive most of the night and kept the mistakes to a minimum (finishing with zero turnovers).

17. No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and center Christian Wood each scored 21 to lead the Rockets (15-36). Wood buried the Cavs with some big 3-pointers near the end. Old friend Kevin Porter Jr. added 16 points, as did Garrison Mathews.

18. Next up is another road game, Friday at Charlotte. The Cavs had better do a lot of praying that Garland can return, then make their free throws and get back to playing the style that got them this far. Otherwise, this bad week will just continue.

19. Finally, the Cavs must find some more backcourt scoring before the NBA trade deadline, a week from Thursday. They are trying. You can read the latest on that right here.