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Slumping Cavaliers losing confidence
The Cavaliers have begun their push for the NBA playoffs — backward.
Six straight defeats have erased much of what Cleveland accomplished in the first half of the season, when it led the Central Division and played like a team on the verge of becoming a winner.
"I don't see the fire, the intensity, the passion, all the things we've had at one time we've lost," coach Paul Silas said Sunday night after a 102-82 loss to the Miami Heat. "They have to do some soul searching. Either we're going to pick it up or chuck it in."
Maybe Silas should have seen this coming. After all, the Cavs' surprisingly strong start was aided by a favorable schedule, the Indiana-Detroit brawl that slowed those Eastern Conference powers and the dramatic one-year improvement of LeBron James.
The Cavaliers are 8-0 against expansion Charlotte and Atlanta and 14-0 overall against Golden State, Utah, New Orleans and Toronto — all last-place teams. Against the rest of the league, Cleveland is 17-27.
In the past week, the Cavaliers have been exposed at home by San Antonio, Seattle and Miami. The Heat won with ease, pulling away in the second half despite getting limited time from Shaquille O'Neal, who was in foul trouble throughout and finished with just 13 points in 27 minutes.
Silas, who has tried to be supportive during the slide, finally boiled over after the Cavs were outhustled and outrebounded 55-40 by the Heat.
"When Shaq goes out, you've got to get up a killer instinct," Silas said. "But all I'm seeing right now is 'We're tight, I'm this, I'm that.' That's nonsense. We didn't fight. That's a loser's mentality. If we continue to perform as we are, then everything is in danger."
A few weeks ago, Cleveland's first trip to the playoffs since 1998 seemed like a slam dunk.
Now it's a potential air ball.
Going into Monday night's games, the Cavaliers (31-27) were tied with Orlando for the No. 5 seed in the East with Chicago (29-27) one game back and Indiana (29-30) and Philadelphia (29-30) lurking 2 1/2 games behind.
Cleveland's schedule for the rest of March won't provide many breaks, either. After hosting the Magic on Tuesday night and the Pacers on Sunday, the Cavaliers have home games against Philadelphia and Detroit and road dates in Milwaukee, Toronto, Houston, Dallas and Chicago.
"We could easily go down the toilet and not make the playoffs," James said.
Following practice on Monday, Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson offered his take on why the team is slumping.
"Our players are the same players that were 30-21 going into the All-Star Break," he said. "I think the talent level and the belief in them is still there.
"We have to work our way out of it. When you lose six in a row, you look at a lot of different things, but the players have the ability. Last year, when we had the losing streak, Jeff (McInnis) missed that time, and right now our roster is deeper and has more talent in my opinion. The pressure isn't all on them, from the top down we're all responsible."
James, who has been brilliant all season, has shown more frustration of late. On Friday, the second-year star was called for a technical in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia that allowed the Sixers to close out a win. On Sunday, James said his team doesn't know now what it takes to win. "That's very concerning," he said. "We've just got to get a win. Someway, somehow. If I've got to play 48 minutes to get us a win, I'll do it." James and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas have provided the only consistency for a team that has gotten nothing from its bench during the losing streak. Against the Heat, the pair combined for 45 points while starters McInnis, Ira Newble and Robert Traylor accounted for 14 on 6-of-20 shooting. "We're just putting pressure on ourselves now," McInnis said. "Everybody is pressing."
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