CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – With a depleted lineup due to COVID-19 and injuries, the Cavaliers margin for error is thin.
A full 48 minutes is a must for the Wine and Gold, but a breakdown in the third quarter on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse against the Atlanta Hawks proved to be the major difference on the way to a 121-118 loss.
“We didn't continue to do the things that we did to start with where we had success. I think that's the biggest challenge through pieces moving in and out,” said Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “We're a defensive team first. You know, we are a team based on competition and selflessness. That has to be all the time. I thought in that third quarter, that's not who we were.”
With Jarrett Allen back in the lineup after missing the last four games while in the league’s health and safety protocols, the Cavaliers resembled the team that has ran out to a 20-16 record and the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.
“I thought we were complacent, you know, because we had a lead. You know, understanding you're playing against a team, you know, guys who you've been to the Eastern Conference Finals, you've got winners over there, guys who compete at a high level. And we let our guard down in the third quarter and it came back to bite us,” Bickerstaff continued.
Allen finished his return with 21 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting, while Kevin Love turned back the clock on New Year’s Eve to deliver his best performance in a Cavalier uniform since 2017.
“It felt good getting out. You know, the first couple of minutes came in a little slow, you know, just trying to get my body back and just feel how the pace of the game,” Allen said. “I'm a homebody, so I enjoyed it and I enjoyed being just stepping away for a little bit. But when it was time that I could finally step in the gym, finally time to get back into basketball shape, I was ready to go. I was ready to see the team again.”
Love scored 35 points and had 11 rebounds in 30 minutes, all coming off the bench. Love’s scoring boost was a boon in the absence of Darius Garland (health and safety protocols), Ricky Rubio (torn ACL) and Collin Sexton and his highest offensive output since November 28th, 2017.
Love said he felt more of a responsibility to step up in the wake of Rubio and Garland to shoulder more of the scoring load.
I try to bring that veteran leadership because I've just I've seen and done a lot and still want to grow myself,” Love said
The loss snapped the Cavs’ five-game home win streak and extended the team’s three-game skid. The Wine and Gold are looking to regroup as they head into the new year while battling a revolving door in their suddenly vacant back court.
The Cavaliers signed guard Brandon Goodwin to a 10-day contract via the NBA’s hardship exception before Friday night’s game as they deal with Garland’s absence and Rubio’s injury. Goodwin has spent time in Denver and Atlanta. Last season with the Hawks he appeared in 47 games (5 starts) and averaged 4.9 points and 2.0 assists in 13.2 minutes.
Despite being last-minute addition, Goodwin looked comfortable on the floor, scoring 13 points and handing out six assists. He was on the floor in key moments down the stretch and frequently found the ball in his hands during crunch time.
“I actually had him in Memphis a few years back, so we had a relationship with him from there,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s in a difficult situation.
But I thought he did a great job. I thought he got us in offense, but he was attack minded. He was good defensively. I thought he did a really good job.”
The Cavs ran out to a 15-point lead at halftime, shooting 70 percent from the field through the first two quarters.
“We've definitely grown and shown what we're capable of early in the season. But then just, you know, naturally our progression and just knowing that in life, but in sports, fortune and momentum can change and the job of a dime,” Love said.
Momentum certainly shifted to the Hawks as they rattled off a 12-0 run on the way to outscoring the Cavs 40-22 in the third quarter.
“That third quarter was tough. But I mean, it's all of us.
It's getting back to that defensive mindset and allowing us to get stops and get out on the other end,” Love said. ‘I think that it's tough for teams to guard us in transition with so many weapons and being able to play so many ways and be a dynamic on that side of the ball if we get stops.”
The Cavs shot 70-percent from the floor in the first half, so it was understandable if they cooled off in the second. They did, shooting going 10-for-24 from the field in the third quarter.
But their struggles at the free-throw line also left more points on the floor. The Cavs shot just 14-for-24 from the charity stripe, including 8-of-14 in the fourth quarter.
It was a 12-minute lapse. It wasn't like, you know, it was the entire game,” Bickerstaff said. “But you know, I thought we had a 12-minute lapse in our true identity. And, you know, that's something that we can't afford.”
Despite the struggles, behind Love’s shooting, the Cavs found themselves down three points with the ball on the final possession. But a shot by Kevin Pangos clanked off the rim and time expired on any comeback.
Pangos wasn’t the first option on the final play, as Bickerstaff said the original plan was to get the ball to Love for the last shot.