James' Return Not Enough For Scorching Hot Suns

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Despite the return of LeBron James and a furious second half run, the Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to dig themselves out of an early deficit, losing to the Phoenix Suns 107-100. The loss tonight drops them below .500 for the first time in over two months.

James, who missed the previous eight games resting a sore back, did not disappoint in his first game back, doing things he hasn't done all year. Two times did he have a ferocious dunk over a couple of Suns defenders, including one after his own missed free throw in the second quarter. He would finish with 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

However, James would be out-shined by Markieff Morris, who was scorching hot from the field today. Of the 21 shots he took, he only missed six of them, finishing with a game-high 35 points. Morris wasn't the only one that was hot for Phoenix, as they shot 52.6 percent from the field as a team.

Whereas Morris received help from his teammates in the scoring department, James only saw one player contribute to the offense, getting 29 points from J.R. Smith, including an 8-for-14 performance from behind the arc. Outside of those two, only one other player scored in double figures, and it wasn't one of the big three; Tristan Thompson, provided 10 points of the bench, not missing any of the five shots he attempted.

Despite the loss, there were some encouraging signs from this game. One of them includes the fact that this team did not quit when down big. The Cavaliers were down 19 points at one point, and eventually took the lead in the fourth quarter and were unable to hold it. Another is the defensive intensity, which looked dramatically better in the second half.

Three Things:

1. OVERREACTION LEBRON ALERT.

With LeBron James back in the line-up, every thing that happens will blown up to the fullest extent. Tonight's episode of OVERREACTION LEBRON MOMENT involves LeBron "shoving" head coach David Blatt, who was visibly upset at a questionabel offensive foul called on LeBron. Blatt, who has not received a technical foul yet this year, was looking eagerly to get his technical foul as an NBA coach. James, who was also arguing the call, pleasantly pushed Blatt back to the bench so LeBron could plead his own case. It looked bad, but this isn't the first time that he has come in contact with his head coach. The worst part about the whole thing is that Blatt and LeBron have not been on the same page at all this year, with this only adding to the speculation the Blatt's time here is ticking away. Despite all of that, I don't think this was as bad as many are going to make. I don't agree with shoving a coach, but when your defense is as bad as the Cavaliers has been, you can't just give the Suns free points. There are times for technicals, and that was not one of those times.

2. J.R. Smith DA GAWD.

Questions came flying in at the speed at light on which J.R. Smith the Cavaliers would get. There was 2012-2013 Sixth Man of the Year award winner Smith, who averaged 17 points per game and a major player on the 54-win New York Knicks, and then there was 2013-2014 Smith, who was known more for untying opposing player's shoes than hitting three's. Through four games, we've gotten a heavy dose of Smith from two years ago, providing his best game tonight. He scored 29 points on 8-of-14 three-pointers, including four heavily contested three-pointers in the final minutes of the third quarter to cut the deficit from 19 to six heading into the fourth. He won't produce this every night, but it's encouraging to see that he's playing like the player he's capable of, with no signs of hurting the team (yet). If he finds a level of consistency, he could win the Cavaliers at least one game in the playoffs.

3. Seriously though, stop freaking out.

OF COURSE no one expected the Cavaliers to be under .500, 39 games into the season. But that's what happens when you throw new guys together with a new coach, while also dealing with multiple injuries. This team needs to play with each other to get better, and so far this is the only game in which they have been almost at full strength. They lost tonight, but they lost by seven with two of their All-Stars scoring a combined 19 points. If you think this team isn't going to get better, then you are out of your mind. Give this team another month before you start to judge, and until then, allow them to grow and learn to play with one another.

Statline of the Night:

Markieff Morris: 35 points, 7 rebounds, 15-of-21 shooting.

He missed SIX shots all night, literally throwing things up and seeing them fall in. It's hard to beat a team when you play bad, but it's even harder when an opposing player scores 20 points more than his season average.

What's Next:

Jan. 15, on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m.