The Cavaliers had all the reason in the world to think they would be prevailing the other day. It wasn’t merely that they sported the second-best home record in the National Basketball Association. More importantly, it was because they faced competition significantly weakened by the absence of two starters. Sure, the Spurs were the Spurs, dangerous regardless of circumstance. On the other hand, they were the defending champions; they had the rings, and they relished proving why against the established elite.
To the delight of the 20,562 at the Q, things began according to plan. The Cavaliers blitzed the Spurs from the get-go, exhibiting exemplary effort to build a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter. For the season, they had hitherto done the same in 14 other occasions; in all those times, they emerged with the victory. Then again, none of the 14 triumphs came against opposition coached by Gregg Popovich and spearheaded by Kawhi Leonard. And none had them showing their Hyde side so quickly after seemingly stamping their class; it took them just three minutes and change to give up their entire 11-point advantage.
From then on, the Cavaliers did battle against both the Spurs and themselves. Inconsistency plagued them until late into the fourth period, when a combination of solid defense, a spectacular turn by top dog LeBron James, and sheer good fortune allowed them to force overtime from six markers down with a little over two minutes left on the clock. As the final score indicated, however, all they managed to do was delay the inevitable. All told, their offense was so-so; they hit 54.5% of their 22 charities, and they posted 25 dimes (on 45 field goals) vis-à-vis 18 turnovers. Most tellingly, their defense was porous, with Leonard managing to put up a career-high 41, including 18 in the last 17 minutes of play.
Clearly, the Cavaliers have much to do before they can be deemed fit to defend the Larry O’Brien Trophy. True, they had the same win-loss slate at the same point last year. And, true, half the 2016-2017 campaign is still to be negotiated. That said, they realize the need to live up to expectations borne of past accomplishment. They’re not supposed to bow to the Warriors by 35. They’re not supposed to have problems against the depleted Spurs. And, above all else, they’re not supposed to botch plays they’ve long memorized, and coming out of a timeout to boot.
For all the Cavaliers’ woes, they remain the beasts in the East and the safest bets to claim a spot in the Finals, if for no other reason than because they have James on their roster. Of course, simply showing up for the title series isn’t the goal. Winning it is, and if there’s anything the last week underscored, it’s that they have a long, long way to go before they can even be mentioned in the same sentence as the best of the West.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
