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| (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer) |
Despite what the final score looks like, this game looked to be all Cleveland in the first quarter. The Cavs came out on fire, leading 26-8 in the first eight minutes of the game, showing energy that was virtually nonexistent in last night's loss to the Wizards. The defense was active and the ball was moving at a rate only seen during the Cavs three-game winning streak just over a week ago. It seemed like all that had happened in the last week would be put to rest tonight.
Then, the ball stopped moving, the energy stopped and Lou Williams entered the game. After leading by 15 after the first quarter, the Cavs gave up 37 points in the second and went into the locker room with a 56-54 deficit after Williams nailed a 3-pointer as time expired in the half. Williams had a career night, unable to be stopped by anyone the Cavs threw at him. He scored a career-high 36 points, and was a big reason the Raptors were able to come back after a terrible first quarter. The most alarming stat of Williams was that when he was on the court, the Raptors out-scored the Cavaliers by 37 points.
But it was more than just Williams scoring out his mind, it was the drop-off in energy the Cavs saw after a hot start to the game. The problem so far this season isn't starting out with energy, it's trying to keep it consistent throughout the game. During those first eight minutes of the first quarter, everyone was involved on offense, with Kevin Love getting his touches and taking advantage of it. But after that, it was the same problem that haunted the Cavs in most of their losses this season that turned the game in favor of Toronto: LeBron holding the ball and trying to go one-on-one in the post, 18-feet away from the basket. When things started to go bad, nothing seemed to change on offense. The Cavs have showed that they are not a great half-court offense, and it doesn't help when the ball constantly sticks on one players hand for the entire possession.
The Cavs have shown the ability to play a consistent game from start to finish, just look at the Atlanta game. However, the difference between that game and what has been transpired has been the production of the second unit. During the Cavs current four-game losing streak, their bench has been out-scored 142-73. The bench let the Raptors back in the game, but starters let what looked like a win slip away in the second half.
Inconsistency has been the theme of the Cavs so far this season. They've looked really good and they've looked really bad, all within the span of a week. If the Cavs can find any consistency from top to bottom, their problems will slowly begin to go away.
Three Things
1. The bench, AGAIN.
The Cavs came out on fire tonight, scoring 34 points in the first quarter and looking good in all aspects of the game. The sense of urgency looked head and shoulders better from last night on both ends of the court, leading by as many as 18 in the first quarter. But, it was the lack of bench production that allowed the Raptors to crawl back in the game, cutting the lead to one with 7:27 left in the second. It's something if both the starters and bench struggle, like they did in Washington, but when the second unit blows a big lead that nearly cost them a lost, that's inexcusable. The Cavs do not need a loaded bench, but they need more than just Tristan Thompson and occasionally Dion Waiters to provide production once the starters come out if they want to be contenders.
2. Turnovers continue to haunt the offense.
They had 19 last night and 18 tonight, leading to a combined 45 points off of those turnovers for Washington and Toronto. Most of these turnovers are self-inflicted by the Cavs, who have made too many poor passes to consider themselves an elite offense. That's pretty much been the difference in their last four games, and hasn't helped build any confidence for the Cavs or their fans. If the Cavs can't clean up on the offensive end, things will continue to go down hill for the Cavs
3. Kyrie Irving has been the most consistent player for the Cavs
So what you want about his low assist totals, that hasn't stopped him from being the one player the Cavs can expect to do the same thing every night. For the seventh straight game, Irving scored at least 20 points, scoring -- tonight on 00-of-00 shooting. He had 6 assists, but more importantly he only had three turnovers. Many expected Irving to struggle to grasp his new role, but it seems he is adjusting just fine compared to his teammates. Irving has seen blame from others for the Cavs bad start, but he is the last person to point fingers at.
Statline of the night: Lou Williams. 36 points, four assists, three steals, 9-of-17 shooting.
Williams has always been one of the best scoring sixth men in the league, and he showed that ability tonight. The Cavs tried to put five different guys on him, with Williams having the upper hand in all five matchups. He was THE reason Toronto won this game.
What's next: Nov. 24, home against the Orlando Magic. 7:30 p.m.
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