What a run it has been for the Cleveland Cavaliers! In early November, the reigning Eastern Conference champions were one of the worst teams in the league. At one point, they were two games under .500 and it seemed that it would be very difficult for them to bounce back. However, the Cavaliers surprised everyone when they started their win streak, but unfortunately, all good things come to an end.
Cleveland managed to win 13 games and climb to the third spot in the conference before finally losing a game. Last night, the Indiana Pacers snapped their win streak, beating the Cavaliers 106 to 102.
The Cavaliers were very close to another victory, but their poor performance of the second half caused them to lose their first game since November 10. The Cavs scored season-low 39 points in the second half.
LeBron James' comments
LeBron James had another fantastic performance, but it wasn't enough to keep the win streak alive. The 32-year-old forward scored 29 points on 12-for-22 shooting and the Cavaliers were +3 with him on the floor. In addition, the four-time MVP added 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal to his stat line.
James, who is averaging 28.2 points per game this season, talked about the loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Cavaliers small forward was unfazed by the loss and he is ready to move on and start another win streak.
"Listen, that was a good streak," commented LeBron. "We never talked about it, we just played each game, executed each game. Streaks are meant to be broken, obviously. We came in, we knew this was going to be a tough game for us, they've been playing extremely well at home." James added that the Cavaliers gave themselves a chance, which is all you could ask for.
James understands that win streaks are not very important, as long as the team functions properly. He was part of multiple amazing win streaks, including the 27-game win streak in Miami.
Upcoming schedule
The 13-game win streak helped the Cavaliers climb to the third spot in the East as they are now only a half game behind the second-seeded Toronto Raptors.
Cleveland will have a chance to bounce back with a game against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.
The 76ers will be the first the first opponent of the four-game homestand for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will host the Atlanta Hawks three days later, followed by the games against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz. Considering that the upcoming schedule is relatively easy, we might see the Cavaliers start another win streak.
