Cavaliers Can't Hold On To Early Lead, Lose to Spurs Again

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images)

LeBron James just can’t seem to beat the Spurs. 

Coming off a disheartening loss on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) dropped Wednesday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs (7-4), 92-90, giving the Cavs two losses in as many games after winning the previous four.  This is the Spurs’ 10^th straight win over the Cavaliers.

The Spurs came into this game winners of five of their previous six games, and both teams hit the floor ready to play.  After a back and forth first quarter, the Cavs were able to build up an 11-point lead in the second but led by only three heading into the half. 

Tim Duncan paced the Spurs through the beginning stages of this one, taking 10 first-quarter shots.  Duncan finished the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs’ Big 3 of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all struggled, with James scoring only 15 points and Love able to score only 12.  Cleveland was able to stay in the game thanks to Anderson Varejao, who led the Cavaliers in scoring with 23 points on 11-16 shooting, and also pulled down 11 rebounds.  

Tony Parker was a non-factor all game, finishing with only 8 points and 3 assists, but Bris Diaw was able to pick up the slack and facilitate the Spurs' offense.  The versatile big man scored 18 point and dished out 7 assists, with 6 rebounds.

In the second half, both teams traded buckets and leads, and neither team led by greater than five in the fourth quarter.  The Cavs lost their lead for good with 1:39 left in the game.

Cleveland did have a chance to win the game, though.  San Antonio led 92-90 when  Manu Ginobili missed a free throw that was rebounded by Varejao.  Varejao then passed the ball to James, who dribbled the ball off of his leg when attempting to get past midcourt. The ball was picked up by Ginobili, who dribbled out the clock.

Three Things

1. The Offense Still Hasn’t Gelled

We are now 10 games into the season and the Big 3 have only have had one game where all three have played up to their potential.  Now, it’s not realistic to expect 25 points every game from each of the Big 3, but this offense is certainly capable of doing better.  James shot only 6-17 (although he did have nine assists) and Love shot only 4-12.  Love also attempted only four field goals in the first half and took only one shot in the fourth quarter.   The team also committed 16 turnovers.  James, Irving and Love are third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in minutes played this season, and depth will continue to be a problem for the Cavs, so it will be even more important for the offense to roll when the Cavs have James, Irving and Love all on the court together.

2. Interior Defense Continues to be a Problem

Everyone knew that one weakness this team would have coming into the season would be defense, and that showed tonight.  There is no doubt that improvements need to be made on that end of the floor, particularly in the paint.  Far too often the Spurs’ big men were able to get wide-open layups or dunks, especially early on in the game.  Duncan and Boris Diaw had no trouble slicing up the defense with their passing down low and while it may not be a major concern in November, it will be if the Cavs want to be playing in June.  With no real rim protectors on the roster, this may be an area general manager David Griffin should look to address in the coming months before the trade deadline.

3. David Blatt is Continuing to Figure Things Out

After acknowledging that the team came out flat Monday against Denver, Blatt made sure that the Cavs were ready to play at the start of this one.  The game was back and forth to start, but it was obvious that the Cavs had their minds in this one.  The rotation is also a work in progress.  In the second half, rookie Joe Harris came in before Dion Waiters, and Mike Miller didn’t get off the bench at all. It’s still early, but the Big 3 still hasn’t been able to click at the same time and figuring out which combinations of guys produces the best results will be key to having success this season.

Statline of the Night: Boris Diaw.  19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals.

While Anderson Varejao certainly deserves credit for his 23 point, 11 rebound night, Diaw was really the engine of San Antonio’s offense tonight.  Tony Parker was taken almost completely out of this game but the Spurs offense was able to hum on thanks to Diaw’s passing from the post and heads up play around the basket.

What’s Next: Nov. 21, on the road against the Washington Wizards, 8 p.m.