Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers crushed by Miami Heat 121-84

It was apparent from the opening tip that even the reinsertion of Evan Mobley would not be enough to reinvigorate this team or the offense.

Welp, that happened

There is no way to sugarcoat it or offer excuses, the Cavaliers were outplayed in any measurable metric there is. Sometimes, teams will just not have it on a given night, Cleveland just didn’t have any answers or players dialed in against the Miami Heat Sunday night.

Offensive Woes continue for a Donovan Mitchell-less Cavs offense, this team was beat down by Miami early and throughout all four quarters of play. The Heat held the Cavaliers to a measly 39 points in the first half. The Cavaliers’ offense registered an abysmal 86.7 offensive rating during that stretch with an even worse 83.7 offensive rating in half-court offense.

It’s games like this where the Cavaliers’ offense felt sloppy to start off the jump as none of their intended sets were cracking Miami’s defense. Even when some sequences generated open shots, it felt like no one could even convert on the half-decent looks.

Many were quick to deem this an Eric Spoelstra masterclass effort, and while Miami certainly came out to play, this level of offense makes any defense have an easier job. The game getting out of hand so quickly also made the team feel at times they needed to force aggressive passes and the turnovers quickly mounted up. The Cavaliers turned the ball over 17 times leading to 35 points off turnovers in Miami’s favor.

Mobley’s return

Evan Mobley’s return had its moments but in such a lost effort overall, it feels like it will be buried behind the lead of the blowout. Mobley seemed to have moments where he felt comfortable canning two threes without hesitation.

Mobley led the team in points in 21 minutes of play. While meaningless in this context, it was a nice thing to see him come out swinging. He played throughout all four quarters as it appears they were letting him get his legs back under him after his stretch of games missed due to his ankle injury. It will be nice to see Mobley in a better context when the Cavaliers get their groove back.

Big Picture

With this loss to the Heat, the Knicks are now one win against the Pistons from claiming the third seed in the East. Games like these, even with accounting for injuries, are discouraging as teams are ramping up for the playoff pushes.

The Cavaliers in the most recent six-game stretch are 2-4, and it feels like they are playing sluggish and scrambling for answers. Certainly not the direction that you would want to see your playoff-bound club heading in. Things are approaching a dire territory where the Cavaliers are going to need to get lucky with who they match up against as it feels like a majority of the Eastern Conference field can beat, if not, compete with the Cavaliers in a seven-game series.

Things need to change and if they don’t the Cavaliers will play an encore performance of their fan-favorite round-one Knicks playoff performance. In summary for those who willingly choose to block it out of their memory: a team that feels limited and not ready for when the lights are at their brightest.