Cavs regroup, get 'back to basics' after blowout
NEW YORK — LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers regrouped and changed their itineraries to clear the air following an embarrassing 132-98 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
Although Tuesday was previously only scheduled as a travel day ahead of a road game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, the Cavs instead met and then held practice prior to leaving for New York.
“It was more of a conversation for us, figuring out how we can get better,” James said prior to the Cavs’ shootaround on Wednesday morning. “Then we went through practice. We actually had a really, really sharp practice getting back to the basics.”
James said he reviewed the film from the Warriors loss — “it was very ugly to watch” — but much of his message was pragmatic as he reminded reporters just how new of a group the Cavs really are. He also pointed out that they’ve played just 50 games as a healthy unit since making midseason trades a year ago to transform the roster.
The Cavs are 43-7 — including the Golden State blowout — in those 50 games.
“I think we should feel the urgency of every day,” James said. “At the end of the day, we’re a young group together. And I experienced this in Miami, too. You want instant success. When guys come together, it’s like instant oatmeal. They want to throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds, it’s done and then it’s ready to go. It doesn’t work that way.
“You need time. You need adversity together. You need hardships. You need times when you don’t like each other. You need the worst of times in order to become really good. And I’ve experienced that over my career, and this is not even a full two years with us. And I don’t even think we have 82 games together as a full unit.
“You look at Golden State, you look at San Antonio, you look at Chicago, you look at Toronto, you look at OKC, the Clippers, Miami, I can keep naming them. … Those guys got so much game experience and we don’t. But we get this whole perception, this whole thing about who we should be. Our main focus is on what we can do every day to improve.”
“You want instant success. When guys come together, it’s like instant oatmeal. They want to throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds, it’s done and then it’s ready to go. It doesn’t work that way.”
LeBron James, on the Cavaliers
James was careful to avoid singling out any of his teammates in that improvement plan.
“We all need to help each other,” James said. “It’s not just Kyrie (Irving). It’s not just myself. It’s not just Kev (Love). It’s everyone. We need to all help each other both mentally and physically out on the floor and when we do that, we have the talent. But talent can only get you so far. It’s about the drive and how insane you are about wanting to be great. And I have a little insanity.”
After speaking to reporters, James posted a quote from UFC fighter Conor McGregor on his Instagram account, echoing that mindset.
James used the word “absurd” three times in eight minutes in response to questions about the Cavs’ championship chances considering Cleveland’s 0-3 record against Golden State and San Antonio this season. However, he couldn’t help himself from providing a little history lesson, reminding reporters that his Heat went 0-4 against Brooklyn during the 2013-14 regular season, only to beat them 4-1 in the second round of the playoffs. (He failed to mention, however, that three of those losses were by one point and the other came in double-overtime).
Cavs coach David Blatt repeated his postgame remarks following the Golden State game, implicating his role in the team’s struggle.
“I don’t expect more from one guy,” Blatt said. “I expect more from everyone and that includes myself.”
Love was singled out by many following the Warriors loss after he scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting — a career low since joining the Cavs. The three-time All-Star was asked if his role has been discussed within the team.
“I don’t know how to answer that without getting myself into a hole here,” Love said. “It’s definitely something that has been talked about. Just try to get me in better spots. I think recently I’ve gotten back to being on the perimeter quite a bit. It’s also a mindset for me, too, to go in there and mix it up with Tristan (Thompson) a little bit.”
Blatt was also asked about J.R. Smith showing up to Quicken Loans Arena less than an hour before tipoff Monday. “It’s been addressed internally,” he said.
The Cavs seemed resolved to put the Golden State loss behind them.
“It was one game and a bad game,” Blatt said. “What we have to do is move forward from that. Can’t dwell on that. Spent our time talking about that, spent our time recovering from it and now we’re moving forward.”
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