The Cleveland Cavaliers could really use a win. They have a chance at revenge tonight against the Chicago Bulls. Let’s look at three things to watch.
Can the Cavs wake up?
On my last preview, I said that this header would stay
evergreen until further notice. Nothing has changed since then.
The Cavs played a truly awful game in Chicago on Wednesday. It might have been their lowest point of the last four years. Poor effort and even worse focus led to the Cavs dropping their third game in four tries. All of which were against opponents they were heavily favored against.
There is really no excuse for this. Sure, they are injured. Sure, they’ve had some bad luck in terms of shooting percentages. But, at a certain point, you just have to play harder — and with more intention.
I’ll be looking for that tonight. It’s almost more important that they fight hard and show energy than for them to actually win the game. This team is desperate for a spark. A valiant effort in a loss would honestly be more refreshing than another lackluster effort where they escape with a win.
Of course, I’d prefer they just outright win this game. Run the Bulls off the floor, if possible.
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De’Andre Hunter
The Cavs recently moved Hunter to the bench. The team is hoping this will allow Hunter to find his stride after weeks of struggling. Playing with the bench takes some pressure off of him and puts Hunter in a position where he can score freely against lesser competition.
The early results weren’t great. Hunter still found trouble scoring the ball against Chicago and he wasn’t engaged on defense, either.
Something eventually has to give. Hunter is too important to the Cavs for him to be a net-negative on the floor consistently. He’s proven he can be more impactful, both last season as a sixth man, and as recently as the first few weeks of this season.
I’m looking for Hunter to have a big game tonight.
Darius Garland
I know it’s hard to feel optimistic when Garland has been playing this poorly. But, I genuinely think he’s starting to turn the corner on the toe injury that severely limited him in the earliest days of the season.
Garland’s mobility is improving. He’s been more confident and comfortable navigating the floor, and we’ve seen hints of the ‘old DG’ sprinkled throughout this frustrating stretch of games.
His shot still isn’t falling. And, I wouldn’t say he is moving at 100%. But he’s getting to his spots consistently enough for me to think that Garland is capable of having a big scoring performance once again. Let’s hope that happens tonight.
