The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bit of a funk right now - and head coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t sugarcoating it.
“We're going through it a little bit,” Atkinson said after the Cavs dropped their third straight game, this one a gut-punch loss to the Boston Celtics. “The sky is not falling.
I think we got a lot of things going on. I trust this group, love this group.
We'll go get one tomorrow.”
That kind of optimism is what you want to hear from a coach, but there’s no denying the reality: this team isn’t playing up to the standard it set just a year ago.
Let’s rewind for a second. Last season, Cleveland didn’t lose its ninth game until late January.
This year? They hit that mark before the calendar even flipped to December.
That’s a pretty stark contrast, especially considering the core of the roster hasn’t changed much. And while it’s not time to hit the panic button, it’s fair to say things aren’t clicking the way they need to.
The loss to Boston was especially frustrating. The Celtics were on the second night of a back-to-back - a spot where most teams are vulnerable - and Cleveland had every opportunity to take advantage.
After falling behind by 20, the Cavs battled all the way back and had a shot to win it at the buzzer. But in the end, it slipped away.
That’s been the story of late. The Cavaliers have dropped four of their last six, and the numbers tell the story: 46.3% shooting from the field, 36% from deep, and an offensive rating of 112.9. Those aren’t disastrous numbers, but they’re not elite either - and for a team with playoff aspirations, they’re not good enough.
The issues? They’re not hard to spot.
Rebounding and free throws - two of the most fundamental aspects of the game - have been consistent trouble spots. Atkinson pointed to both after the Celtics game, and he’s not wrong.
Giving up second-chance points and leaving freebies at the line will catch up to any team, no matter how talented.
And then there’s the injury bug. Unlike last season, when the team stayed relatively healthy, this year’s squad has been dealing with a revolving door of absences.
That kind of instability makes it tough to build rhythm, both offensively and defensively. Lineups shift, rotations get tweaked, and chemistry takes a hit.
Still, there’s reason to believe this group can weather the storm. The talent is there.
The coaching staff believes in the group. And when fully healthy, this is a team that’s already proven it can compete at a high level.
But until that happens, it’s going to take a collective effort - the little things, the hustle plays, the attention to detail - to stop the slide and start stacking wins again.
The season is long, and slumps happen. The key now is how the Cavaliers respond.