Game Night Observations: What Went Wrong Against OKC and a Conversation About Cleveland's Defense

Didn't see that coming!

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 134-114 on Thursday night.

During the postseason it’s easy to spot a desperate team. Typically, when a good team loses the first two games of a series on the road, they return home and turn into a different team. That team becomes desperate. Desperate to win, desperate to keep its season legitimately alive. It’s something that’s awfully difficult to fake.

Even on a January night, Oklahoma City fit that description. The Thunder hit a gear midway through the first quarter that the Cavs just did not have on this specific night. There are certainly things from this game that can be viewed as concerning, but it shouldn’t be looked at as a reason to sound the alarm about this team as a whole.

Given the nationally televised audience, and the fact that Oklahoma City was without both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, the Cavs picked a bad night to have a really bad night.

This wasn’t a night that I necessarily saw coming, but maybe it’s one that should’ve been predicted.

The Cavs have a great record. Even after Thursday night, they’re tied for the best record in the NBA with Oklahoma City at 34-6. It has been an incredible start to the season. The Cavs are a great team and have proven that for much of the season.

They also haven’t played great basketball lately. Since beating Oklahoma City last Wednesday, the Cavs have looked relatively average. They beat the Raptors in a game they probably deserved to lose, but Darius Garland rescued them with 40 points, including 25 in the second half. That was understandable, given the magnitude of the game against the Thunder the night before. Easy to brush off as an off-night that was still a win.