After falling behind by 19 points to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers fought back and had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but fell short, 112-111.
Donovan Mitchell had his potential game-winning layup blocked by Keldon Johnson, and right afterward, Darius Garland had a decent look at a 3-pointer, but he missed.
The Cavs may have a solid 17-11 record, but the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are closing in fast, and they must resolve these two issues in order to hold onto third place in the Eastern Conference and get to the next level.
1. Garland Needs To Be More Consistent Offensively
Garland shot just 7-of-22 from the field versus San Antonio, and his numbers have fallen significantly short of his marks from last season, which made him a first-time All-Star.
He is shooting just 42.4 percent from the field so far this year, compared to 46.2 percent in the 2021-22 campaign.
The fourth-year man has simply been unable to string together more than a few good or great games, and his accuracy in several key areas is simply poor.
2. The Cavs Need To Start Winning On The Road
Cleveland is tied for the NBA’s best home record at 12-2, but they’re just 5-9 away from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
That is simply unacceptable for a team that has serious championship aspirations.
darius garland has been hilariously bad on the road this season pic.twitter.com/OC8QrDbZaC
— peazy 🥷🏾 (@sleazyyp) December 14, 2022
One of the biggest hurdles for young playoff-caliber teams that are trying to get to the next level is having a winning record on the road, but luckily it is early enough in the season for the Cavs to turn things around in that regard.
Leave a Reply