The Cleveland Cavaliers have played nothing like defending NBA champions lately, as they lost three out of their last five games. Their last loss came against the Washington Wizards, and even though the Wizards are a good team, the Cavaliers were at home and should have given more effort to win the game. Poor effort resulted in one of the worst defensive games of the season and it showed that the Cavs have a lot of issues to fix before the playoffs.
LeBron James was not happy about the loss and he was clearly disappointed with his team after the game.
What LeBron was most disappointed about, however, are all the injuries the Cavaliers have gone through this season, as they are a big reason for their recent struggle.
Cleveland could lose the first seed
As their losses pile up, the Cleveland Cavaliers are slowly losing the advantage they have over the rest of the Eastern Conference. Just a few weeks ago, their lead looked comfortable as they separated themselves from the other teams, but now they are ahead by only 0.5 games, and they could soon become number two in the East.
The Cavaliers have been one of the most injured teams this season and couldn't keep up with all the roster changes and rotations.
"This has been one of the most challenging seasons of my career just because of all the injuries,” LeBron James said.
“Its been very challenging on our ball club, the lineups and different guys in and out. We get one guy come in and then we get another guy out.” (CBS).
If James and the Cavaliers don't figure out how to deal with all the changes, they might not just lose the first seed, but also a playoff round.
Cavaliers struggle with their defense
One of the biggest problems the Cavaliers have had this season is their defense, and it didn't get any better in their last game. When the final buzzer sounded, Washington had 127 points while the Cavaliers had 115. Cleveland did not only allow 127 points, but they also defended so poorly that the Wizards shot 59.8 percent from the field, which was their highest field goal percentage this season.
"Defense wins championships" is what most NBA players and coaches say, and it is doubtful that the Cleveland Cavaliers can defend their title without giving more effort on that end of the floor. Their next game is against the San Antonio Spurs, who are the second-best team in the NBA, and this game will be a good test for the Cavaliers. If they lose it, they will most likely fall to the second seed in the conference and it will undoubtedly affect team chemistry.
