Cavs Revert Back To Old Ways In Loss

The Cleveland Cavaliers made several uncharacteristic decisions in their loss to the Orlando Magic.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were on quite a stretch after the calendar turned to January. Then they went into the All-Star break with an 18-3 record in their last 21 games. A lot of this had to do with their premier defense, elite three-point shooting, and limited number of mistakes.

However, the wine and gold reverted to their old ways in the first game out of the All-Star Break resulting in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

For one, the Cavs committed 18 turnovers and Orlando scored 28 points on these Cleveland miscues. Jarrett Allen admitted that this was unacceptable after the game and that they couldn't make these "mental errors."

One of the most shocking parts about this loss was the Cavaliers' lack of three-point shooting. The team got national media recognition for their reimagined offense that relied on the long-range shot. 

From the beginning of January to the break, Cleveland was attempting 39.0 threes a game. They only attempted 22 in their loss on Wednesday. This is the second-fewest threes the Cavs have attempted in a game all season.

No, Donovan Mitchell was inactive due to an illness. However, he's not responsible for the team shooing 27 fewer threes than they've been used to. Is this a sign that defenses are adapting to Cleveland's new offense?

The defense was another area that took a step back. 

In that same stretch heading into the All-Star Break, Cleveand's defense was allowing 104.9 points a game and allowing teams to shoot just 44% from the floor and 35% from three against them. The Magic put on a clinic and scored 116 points while shooting 51% from the field and 56% from behind the arc.

Feb 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) defends a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Despite all of this, the Cavs only lost by seven points. They fought hard at the end and never gave up until the final buzzer. Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro each had tremendous games which should also excite fans.

Shaking off some rust is not uncommon coming out of the All-Star Break. Cleveland better hope all of that is gone though because they have another tough matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday evening.