The Cleveland Cavaliers have been making the NBA betting headlines and not for any good reason. One month ago Cleveland was accumulating their 18th win in 19 games. But since then, things have gone south for Lebron and his crew. Today they sit close to being in the fourth of the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland are you OK?
In basketball betting and especially in the NBA things can change and turn around very fast. Just like the Cavs performance on the court went downhill so easily, they can quickly pick their level back up. Or can they? NBA betting experts say that there is plenty of potential to get back on track, but after another losing to the Raptors last night one more time, they are looking more and more vulnerable.
Without counting on Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the Toronto Raptors where still able to impose their game against the Cavaliers. The Cavs where listless and had not had any action since last Monday when they lost to Minnesota. The Raptors won by enough (133-99 ) to have Cavaliers fans doubt if they can ever come back from this “funk” as James calls their losing streak.
What does James think about all this?
“We are in a funk,” LeBron James has said of a 3-7 record since Dec. 19. “Once again, we are back to the beginning of the season. We just have to find our way to get out of it. It’s going to start with us and everybody just getting back to what we were doing when we were playing good ball. It’s so fragile.”
In the past, James has used this same remark to describe moments where the team has not been at their best, but is it different now that we are already in January and the team has lost 8 or their last road contests?
Lebron James came back to Cleveland in 2014 and since his return the Cavs have experienced some ups and downs and even accepted that on Thursday morning before the Raptors game. And he is right. This is not the first time that the Cavs are surprising their fans and consequently affecting the NBA betting odds for the wrong reasons.
The potential they have though is something that remains and does not change. They might seem off the rails and vulnerable at times even to a point where they make you believe they won’t make it too deep into the playoffs, yet they manage to turn things around to their favor.
What might be different this season?
Cleveland is currently standing at 29 in their defensive rating numbers. They allow 109 points per 100 possessions. This would normally mean for any team no to be considered as a long term playoff candidate. Nevertheless, last year they stood at 22 and they made it all the way to the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Back when they won the title in 2015-2016 they had the 10th spot in defensive rating.
Thursday’s game however demonstrated a very obvious lack of effort defensively speaking from the Cavaliers. Without much hassle, the Raptors where able to reach halftime with a 65-40 lead. Offensively speaking, the Cavaliers where not at their best either.