With the Cavaliers’ celebratory win over the Los Angeles Lakers having been short-lived following their second-half free fall in Indiana, there are several causes of concern.
For starters, this marks the sixth-consecutive time this season where the Wine and Gold have dropped the second half of back-to-back stints. A heart-breaking buzzer beater in Milwaukee coupled with a bevy of late-game leads slipping away, and the young Cavaliers are showing that energy is not exactly easy to manufacture when it comes to the 96th minute of play.
The Cavaliers, coincidentally, have five more back-to-back slates between now and the first week of January, having their weekends fully booked. Worse, the second night of each pairing but one is on the road — the Cavs will travel to New York, Milwaukee, Boston, Washington and Brooklyn. Looking for more salt in the scheduling wound? This week and next will provide back-to-back weeks where the Cavaliers play four games in five nights, leaving little time for rest and even less time for practice.
Which leads to the next area of concern in rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters.
