The Cleveland Cavaliers were dissected, decimated, and destroyed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
While there was always a chance of the Thunder beating the Cavs, few people thought they would outplay them the way they did on the way to a 134-114 victory.
On Friday morning, Aaron Goldhammer talked about the loss on ESPN Cleveland and said the shocked response from fans isn’t an “overreaction” but a “reality check.”
He said the degree of the defeat was so intense that the Cavaliers need to examine what went wrong.
.@HammerNation19 says last night was a reality check for this Cavs team. Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/p0ByPzGU5o
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 17, 2025
Nothing was going right for the Cavaliers during Thursday’s game.
Not only did it seem like nothing could land for Cleveland, but they had no answer for OKC’s intense offensive plans.
The Cavaliers were deconstructed on both ends of the court for the entire game.
This is a very big problem for the Cavaliers, especially if they meet OKC again in the NBA Finals.
If this really was a reality check for the Cavaliers, it was a big one and now Kenny Atkinson and his team have to examine every element of the game.
The loss was made even worse by the fact that the Thunder didn’t even have their two talented big men, as both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren were out with injuries.
That means they will be even better in the playoffs and a potential Finals matchup.
This was a disappointing loss for the Cavaliers, but it could be a learning experience.
The Cavaliers owe it to themselves and their fans to take lessons from this shocking defeat and move forward.
NEXT: Analyst Says 1 Cavs Player Has Not Played Well Against The Thunder
