Since the trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers have played relatively well but still haven’t met expectations. After a couple of excellent road wins in Boston and Oklahoma City, they have deteriorated again.

The team has been extremely inconsistent, mainly on the defensive end. Some of the issues that were present before the deadline still exist today, which has resulted in a downfall for the Cavs.

On Thursday evening, the Cavaliers traveled to Portland to take on the red-hot Trail Blazers, who were winners of 10 straight coming in. After disappointing losses in Los Angeles to both L.A.

teams, and then a bounce back win in Phoenix, the Cavaliers were hoping to feed off some of the momentum.

Unfortunately, they were unable to handle Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Portland’s potent backcourt 1-2 punch. McCollum scored 29 points and Lillard added 24 points to help the Blazers clamp the Cavs, 113-105.

James goes off on Coach Tyronn Lue

Late in the third quarter of the game, on a defensive lapse by LeBron that resulted into a foul, Coach Tyronn Lue checked James out of the game, where the ladder started yapping at the former while taking a seat on the bench.

It appears Lue was upset with James’ defense, but the superstar was not going to have it. He instantly started yelling at his coach, who kept arguing back.

Most people have monitored LeBron’s relationship with Coach Lue, which has declined since the two won a championship in 2016. A lot of people believe that LeBron controls a lot of the play calls and overpowers Lue on the sidelines. This sequence was a clear proof of how LeBron treats his coach.

What’s next for James and the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Thankfully for the Cavaliers, their schedule gets easier the rest of the way. Aside from two battles against the Toronto Raptors, they have plenty of winnable games coming up. Perhaps they can bounce back and put these ugly road losses behind them.

If the Cavaliers want to win a championship, there cannot be drama and tension between the players and coaching staff.

For now, Cleveland does not look like a championship team because its chemistry hasn’t been top notch and its defense has been horrible.

With Kevin Love’s return on the horizon and an easy schedule ahead of them, maybe the Cavaliers can find some continuity and consistency heading into the post-season. They currently sit fourth in the East with a 39-29 record.
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