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Ethan Skolnick column explains exactly why the misinformed media need to stop comparing the starts of both teams.
The Cavaliers are enduring the effects of a lack of cohesion and an absence of confidence in each other. And, at this point, it's officially more concerning than anything that long-ago Heat team went through.
For starters, that team actually started 7-4, not 5-6 as the Cavaliers have, even though everyone only remembers that Miami slipped to 9-8 on a deflating night in Dallas. That Miami team had three blowout victories in its first five games. This Cavaliers squad has had just one, in its eighth contest, against Atlanta. That Miami team didn't lose for a third time by double digits until its 41st outing, on Jan. 13, even though it was without two of its top five projected players, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, for most of that time. This Cavaliers squad, which has lost one rotation guy (Matthew Dellavedova) has already lost by 19, 13 and nine, with only a Dion Waiters garbage-time jumper saving it from a double-digit defeat against Denver.
That Miami team didn't look as lethargic, and its players didn't look like they loathed each other, as this team and these players appear to at times. Things were messy, for sure, especially as the three established stars, adjusting to redefined roles, tripped over one another, but that never seemed to be from a lack of earnest effort.
This is a decidedly different situation.
In Miami, he had a coach who had NBA experience—two playoff seasons as the head man—with the organization's full commitment. Pat Riley's unconditional support gave that coach an opportunity and the space to find his footing, even in the face of intense media pressure. And a 9-8 start turned into a 21-1 stretch.
Will Blatt, who acknowledged that some of his European teams have started slowly, get the backing he needs to make his way? And to make his team believe in him?
In Miami, James had proven championship partners, starting with Dwyane Wade, to help him chart the course, players who ultimately were more concerned with collective goals, even if those ambitions came at an individual cost.
In Miami, James had teammates who made it a mission to get him the ball in the proper spots, so he could lift his percentages, and by extension, the group as well.
The Cavaliers are enduring the effects of a lack of cohesion and an absence of confidence in each other. And, at this point, it's officially more concerning than anything that long-ago Heat team went through.
For starters, that team actually started 7-4, not 5-6 as the Cavaliers have, even though everyone only remembers that Miami slipped to 9-8 on a deflating night in Dallas. That Miami team had three blowout victories in its first five games. This Cavaliers squad has had just one, in its eighth contest, against Atlanta. That Miami team didn't lose for a third time by double digits until its 41st outing, on Jan. 13, even though it was without two of its top five projected players, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, for most of that time. This Cavaliers squad, which has lost one rotation guy (Matthew Dellavedova) has already lost by 19, 13 and nine, with only a Dion Waiters garbage-time jumper saving it from a double-digit defeat against Denver.
That Miami team didn't look as lethargic, and its players didn't look like they loathed each other, as this team and these players appear to at times. Things were messy, for sure, especially as the three established stars, adjusting to redefined roles, tripped over one another, but that never seemed to be from a lack of earnest effort.
This is a decidedly different situation.
In Miami, he had a coach who had NBA experience—two playoff seasons as the head man—with the organization's full commitment. Pat Riley's unconditional support gave that coach an opportunity and the space to find his footing, even in the face of intense media pressure. And a 9-8 start turned into a 21-1 stretch.
Will Blatt, who acknowledged that some of his European teams have started slowly, get the backing he needs to make his way? And to make his team believe in him?
In Miami, James had proven championship partners, starting with Dwyane Wade, to help him chart the course, players who ultimately were more concerned with collective goals, even if those ambitions came at an individual cost.
In Miami, James had teammates who made it a mission to get him the ball in the proper spots, so he could lift his percentages, and by extension, the group as well.
