Cavs Effortless Night Leads to Blowout Loss to the Kings

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For at least 12 minutes tonight, it looked as if the Cavaliers would finally get over the hump without LeBron James and end their current four-game losing streak. They trailed the Kings 30-29, shooting 63.2 percent from the field and getting 23 points combined from your two other All-Stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

But just because the story started out differently, the script still had the same ending.

The Cavaliers were dominated in the second quarter, taking a 15-point lead into the half and never looking back. The box score didn't favor the Kings, but the effort certainly did. Cleveland went through the motions, while Sacramento played with heart and hustle, a reason they were able to keep the deficit above 10 for the entire second half, winning 103-84. At points, it was almost as if the Cavaliers did not want to be there.

DeMarcus Cousins took advantage of the Cavaliers lackluster performance, doing whatever he wanted tonight on both ends of the court tonight, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks.

Just as the losing continued without LeBron, the problem remained the same as well. Both Love and Irving played well early, and struggled later when they were worn out from having to carry the team, as the supporting cast did nothing to help these two players. Outside of those two, the rest of the team finished with 38 points, 14 of them coming from Timofey Mozgov, who started his first game in a Cavalier uniform.

The loss tonight drops them to .500 for the first time since Nov. 26, when they were 7-7. It also gives them five straight losses and their ninth loss in 11 games. It's been an ugly eight games without LeBron, with the Cavaliers compiling a 1-7 record in that stretch, only emphasizing the importance he has to this team.

Luckily for the Cavaliers, LeBron will back soon. And with that, hopefully so is an effort to win games.

Three Things:

1. Despite an ugly loss, the concern level should be hovering around zero.

Yes they lost by 19 to the Kings. Yes they allowed them to shoot 49 percent from the field. Yes they have lost five straight and nine of their last eleven. All of those things should point to some sort of panic, but for what the Cavaliers are going through right now, all of the above is excusable. They're playing without LeBron James and newly acquired Iman Shumpert, while also trying to fit two new guys into their rotation with a coach that is STILL trying to get the players already on the team to gel. There's a reason the league's best teams have had their cores together for more than just 41 games. Once the Cavaliers are fully healthy and have been able to work together, they will be fine. But for now, just know that titles are won in May and June, not December and January.

2. David Blatt is a good coach, he's just in the wrong situation.

Just like you need your core to grow together and develop chemistry with each other, you also need a coach who can implement his system and be comfortable with the players around him, especially for a guy like Blatt. He's never coached in the NBA, not even as an assistant, meaning that he's trying to learn how to deal with rotations and timeouts, he's also trying to put his offensive and defensive tendencies in tact with all new players, leaving him at a major disadvantage to nearly every other coach in the league. A good example of what situation Blatt would be suited best for is Brad Stevens in Boston. Stevens coached at a different level, but is on a team that is rebuilding, allowing him to learn the trade of coaching in the NBA and implement his system, all while not having the pressure of winning immediately. I still think that he can turn things around in Cleveland, but that depends on how he connects with LeBron over the next four months. There's no reason he should be fired in season, but there is a chance he could be removed in the off-season

3. Where does Kyrie rank among the top point guards in the league?

I've heard everything from "he's the best point guard in the league" to "he's top five without a doubt" to "he's at least top ten" to "Darren Collison". I'm not huge into player rankings, as they are virtually meaningless in a real life aspect, but are fun for people to argue about for hours. Irving may be the one player that is constantly moving on people's rankings, due in part to the inconsistent play he is susceptible to. He has the ability to put up 40 points on any given night, but he has also shown the ability to put up a 2-for-15 shooting night. The former is more likely, given that he has to carry the offense without LeBron, forcing him to have tough shooting nights and forcing shots he likely wouldn't take with LeBron in the line-up. His numbers this year have been impressive regardless of who's playing, while putting together spectacular highlight after spectacular highlight. I do think he is an elite point guard, but just a hair outside of the top five, whether that matters much to anyone at all.

Statline of the Night:

DeMarcus Cousins: 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 11-of-23 shooting.

To quote Clark Kellogg, Cousins was a "stat sheet stuffer SUPREME" tonight on both ends of the court. The Kings played good all the way around, but it was Cousins whom the Cavaliers had no answer for.

What's Next:

Jan. 13, on the road against the Phoenix Suns, 9 p.m.