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CLEVELAND — We haven’t seen the last of days like this.
It’s just what happens when you have a mostly young team playing on the second night of a back-to-back so early in the season.
That’s not meant to excuse the Cavaliers’ 105-95 loss to Golden State on Tuesday. It’s just reality.
The Cavs put together a gritty come-from-behind win in Charlotte the day before. The same day, the Warriors were resting in Cleveland. So it’s no surprise the Cavs seemed to have peanut butter and jelly for legs Tuesday — particularly in the fourth quarter, when they were outscored 24-16.
The Warriors, on the other hand, got every meaningful rebound and loose ball. They also did pretty much whatever they wanted near the rim, with David Lee (29 points, 13-for-20 shooting) doing his best Larry Bird imitation.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Cavs’ 25 turnovers. That’s a season high, and while it can be the result of tired legs, it’s mostly the product of carelessness. Young team or not, that is plain old unacceptable.
Just ask Cavs coach Byron Scott, who expressed his anger with a few strong words during his postgame press conference. The good news is, his guys seemed to get the message.
“We need to take care of the ball, or we won’t win,” Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said.
With the exception of backup center Semih Erden, every Cav who played had at least one turnover. Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving committed a game-high six.
“That’s the growing pains; that’s what happens to young teams,” Gibson said. “The good teams are low in turnovers. They make every shot count, every possession count. That’s the next step for us.”
Gibson spoke the truth, as these Cavs typically have played well enough to get it done. It’s the little things that have killed them.
Future bright
As Gibson suggested, these games often happen when you are still finding your way. Especially when your No. 1 option is 19 years old. And Irving was mostly spectacular, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds and passing for a team-high five assists.
More impressively, he always seems to be the guy who wants the ball when the game is in the balance. On Tuesday, he just couldn’t deliver.
Sometimes, he won’t. Eventually, he will more often than not. Even Warriors coach Mark Jackson, a former NBA point guard, predicted as much.
“He’s a heck of a player,” Jackson said. “He’s a great kid who really has the goods and plays with extreme confidence. They’ve given him the green light to call audibles and make plays. He’s gonna be a top-notch point guard in this league for a long time.”
That may not hide the hurt from Tuesday’s loss, and can’t cover up the fact the Cavs dropped to 6-7 when everyone expected them to be a game over .500. No question, it’s winnable games like this that the team may look back on when the playoffs roll around.
Still, it should give Cavs fans hope for the future, realizing that this year is supposed to be a learning year, and the Cavs are right there, smack dab middle of the Eastern Conference pack.
Obviously, Irving isn’t the only reason, and may not even be the biggest. Veterans Antawn Jamison (19 points) and Anderson Varejao (10 points, 13 boards) also deserve credit for staying the course and making this a season that still may be worth noting.
Also, the Cavs finally got a look at what they hope to have in Erden (career-high 14 points, 6-for-8 shooting).
But as Scott will tell you, and the players say they realize, you’re not going anywhere if you don’t master all those vague nuances of the game. Yes, that includes taking care of the ball.
These Cavs still are learning those aspects of their craft at this level — something that is very likely to mean more nights like Tuesday.
“We have to recoup and regroup and then get back to work,” Scott said.
At this stage, that’s really all you can ask.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO
