Cavs hit rock bottom in embarrassing 121-84 loss to Miami Heat
By Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
MIAMI — The Cavs hit rock bottom Sunday night.
Cleveland got embarrassed by the Miami Heat, 121-84. It’s the third straight loss and fourth in the last five games. This was, by far, the ugliest of the year.
Sunday was supposed to be an exciting night in Miami. Not just because it was the finale of the popular and untamed Ultra Music Festival that took over much of downtown. But because it was the return of young forward Evan Mobley.
Mobley scored the first points of the game — a smooth 3-pointer from the left wing. That was the Cavs’ first, last, and only lead of the night. They got clobbered the rest of the way, trailing for XXX [sic] total minutes, by as many as 45.
This wasn’t just an off night. …
It was an uncharacteristic and unacceptable top-to-bottom no-show.
No heart or effort. Missed layups. Comical turnovers (three of them in the first five possessions). Absurd fouls. An inability to solve the Heat zone. Baffling lineups. Abysmal body language. An overall nonchalance against a no-nonsense opponent that outclassed them in every way, sending another clear message with the playoffs just weeks away.
By the end of a listless first half, the Cavs trailed by 21 points. It only got worse from there.
After Miami opened the third quarter on an 11-5 run, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff pulled all five of his starters — Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Jarrett Allen and Mobley. The only one who re-entered the game was Mobley, as he clearly needs game reps and conditioning work following a nine-game absence…
HE PULLED HIS STARTERS EARLY IN THE 3Q!
…
With 10 games remaining, the Cavs suddenly have some soul-searching to do.
I know this reporter's writing and he was pissed. I cannot ever remember reading a Cleveland pencil letting the home team have it like this. EVER.