Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavaliers lost their first game of 2019 on Wednesday, falling to the Miami Heat 117-92. They drop to 8-30 on the season, which is the worst record in the NBA. They've lost seven games in a row, which is a season-high. The Cavaliers only lost 32 games last season.
Here are four postgame observations:
They were outworked – This is one of the only times you could say that about the Cavaliers this season. They made not be the most talented, but they give effort. The hustle wasn't there on Wednesday night. The Heat outrebounded the Cavaliers 47-22. That makes it nearly impossible for a team like Cleveland to win. The Cavs won't have more talent than their opponent, so they need to have more hustle. They struggled on the glass, which led to struggles everywhere else. Miami's size and phsicality bothered the Cavs. Tristan Thompson only had two rebounds in his return. Larry Nance Junior led the Cavaliers with five boards. That has to change if they want to win on Friday against Utah.
Red Hot Shooting and BAD defense – The Heat made 16 three pointers and shot 51.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers' defense was atrocious. They couldn't get stops and they weren't making shots on the other end.
"We've got to be better defensively," head coach Larry Drew said. "We've got to be grimey. We can't play cute. We can't play pretty. We've got to get on the floor for loose balls. We've got to come up with loose balls. We've got to get our bodies on people when they're going to the rim. We've got to do all the little things, which add up to be big things."
Translation: The Cavaliers aren't talented enough to give 75 percent effort. They have to do everything right to have a chance to win. There won't be many nights when the Cavs have more talent than their opponent. They brought a blue collar mindset for most of December, but the losing could be getting to this team. Second quarter slump – The Heat outscored Cavs 36-20 in the second quarter. A big part of that had to do with Miami's zone defense. They shot 6-of-17 in the quarter, which helped Miami gain control of the game going into halftime.
"Our defense let us down," Drew said. "We just didn't get stops. Their physicality wore us down as the game progressed."
The defense was atrocious, but this Cavs' team was equally as bad on offense when they faced Miami's zone. They don't have a three-point threat that will make teams switch back to man defense. The Cavaliers should expect to see zone defense from Utah, New Orleans and every other opponent they have on the schedule. Until they prove they can beat it, why not use it against them?
Tank Time – The last thing any NBA fan wants to talk about in January is the draft lottery, but it's time to discuss it. Tuesday, May 14 can't come soon enough for the Cavaliers. They desperately need to win big. Losing helps, but it doesn't ensure that they'll have the top pick. The three worst teams in the NBA will have a 14 percent chance of securing the top pick. The fourth and fifth worst teams will have a 12.5 percent chance of landing the top selection. It's far from a sure thing, but it's hope and exactly what the Cavaliers need to recover from a season that was over before it started.
