The TNT Chicago Bulls are for real.
So, too, are the Cleveland Cavaliers’ problems.
The Cavaliers fell to those Bulls on Thursday night, 99-93. They are yet again a half-game behind the Eastern Conference’s new first-place team, the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James is officially sounding the alarm.
From ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst:
LeBron James said the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bad spot, and Kyrie Irving indicated the team had a meeting after its 99-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
“We’re just in a bad spot right now. Not disappointed with the effort. We’re just in a bad spot,” James said following the Cavs’ fifth loss in the past seven games. “We’re going to try to figure it out. … I think the effort was there. I just don’t think the concentration for as close to 48 minutes is there yet. Which is unfortunate.”
The Cavs are 6-10 in March, the first time James has experienced a double-digit loss total in a month since November 2003, his first full month as a pro. Thursday was the team’s 12th road game of March, which set a franchise record, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Cleveland is dealing with injuries, as usual, but there doesn’t appear to be a clear solution to what’s happening.
The defense wasn’t necessarily the problem on Thursday, though there weren’t enough stops down the stretch, but it’s been bad for most of this season. The Cavaliers are 23rd in points allowed per 100 possessions for the season, and 29th since the All-Star break.
Even the offense has suffered during a road-heavy March. The Cavaliers’ efficiency, by and large, has been fine, but there are nights, such as Thursday, or during their loss to the San Antonio Spurs, when enough of the three-pointers aren’t falling and they’re losing the second-chance and/or transition battle by a considerable margin.
Eight games remain on the Cavaliers’ schedule, so they’re running thin on time. They may not care whether they get the East’s top seed, but they most definitely should care about figuring out whether their defense can be any better than it’s actually been.
