The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the season talking about championships. After Sunday night’s 116-102 defeat to the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, they sit at 12-9 and sound more concerned with avoiding the play-in tournament.
“Right now it feels like we’re just coasting,” second-year wing Jaylon Tyson said postgame, adding that the group has not shown the hunger necessary to contend. “Talent alone doesn’t win titles. It’s the toughness and the little things.”
Boston was without guard Derrick White and center Neemias Queta but still opened a 21-point cushion on the second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland’s shortcomings in transition defense and on the glass—issues that haunted last spring’s first-round loss to Indiana—surfaced again, and a late push from the bench could not erase the damage done by the starters.
Injuries have compounded the frustration. Forward Larry Nance Jr. is expected to miss three to four weeks with a right calf strain, center Jarrett Allen will be sidelined at least a week because of a right finger strain, and guard Sam Merrill has been out five games with a hand sprain.
Even with the absences, center Evan Mobley, who finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, said the team must “find a way” to win. “Maybe the frustration will help,” he noted.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson tried to keep the mood steady, insisting “the sky is not falling,” yet acknowledged the recurring pattern: slow starts, defensive lapses, and uneven energy. Tyson echoed that sentiment, stressing that the bench should not be relied upon nightly to provide a spark. “Everybody has to bring it,” he said.
Cleveland’s next chance to halt the slide comes Wednesday, when it hosts the Orlando Magic.
Source: Hoops Wire
