The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped a tough game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Brooklyn was without their point guard D’Angelo Russell, leaving Spencer Dinwiddie as the de facto starter. LeBron James, who has started at point guard for the Cavs for the second straight game recorded another triple-double in as many games.
James may have been his dominant self, but Cleveland was not in their best form. The loss left head coach Tyronn Lue perplexed. After the game, Lue joked with reporters that Brooklyn may be out to get their first-round pick, procured in the Kyrie Irving trade, back from the Cavaliers.
Following from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com,
“We’re running around here worrying about getting the Brooklyn pick, they might want our pick,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said afterwards.
Dwyane Wade was not in uniform for Cleveland for Wednesday night’s contest, but that shouldn’t excuse the loss. The Cavaliers are the prohibitive favorites to come out if the eastern conference and challenge the western conference contenders for an NBA championship.
It may have been a case of one team playing harder than the other. The Cavs had just played a game in Chicago on Tuesday night; that game was also a nail-biter. The team won’t make any excuses for themselves, but it’s clear this is a team that is still trying to find a rhythm.
The Nets, on the other hand, are 3-2 — the same as the Cavs’ record – and have looked much comfortable executing their plans out on the floor. The Nets were projected as being one of the worst teams in the league this season.
That outlook seemed solidified after the team loss Jeremy Lin for the year. Somehow, when everyone thought that the Cavaliers could be the owners of a high lottery pick in next year’s draft, the Nets’ early-season returns refute that.
