CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein lost just 15 games over his final two seasons at the University of Michigan -- a number he was reminded of prior to Tuesdays matchup against the Detroit Pistons.
In his inaugural NBA season, Beilein has already hit that mark. It took a little more than a month.
The Cavs lost to the Pistons, 127-94. Its their fourth straight loss and 10th in 11 games. After a rapid -- and better than expected -- start to his NBA career, Beileins Cavs are fading quickly, plummeting to the depths of the Eastern Conference.
They kicked our ass tonight, Kevin Love said following the loss. Detroit, tip your hat to them. They played inspired basketball. We came out and laid an egg. Really disappointing to feel like you made strides in the right direction and then play like we did tonight. I wish I had an answer for you.
One game after believing they had found a working recipe -- at both ends of the floor -- the Cavs slipped back into some bad habits.
On offense, the ball stuck, shots were forced and the team-oriented style that put a scare into the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night was nonexistent. The Cavs scored 94 points on 38-of-89 (42.6%) shooting to go with 8-of-27 (29.6%) from 3-point range. They had just 16 assists against 14 turnovers. Only three starters -- Collin Sexton (22 points), Cedi Osman (10 points) and Tristan Thompson (10 points) -- scored in double figures. The lethal Love-Thompson combination that led to early-season success has vanished.
Its pretty much been nonexistent," Love said. "Im trying to get myself involved a little bit, but I dont know where its gone. I cant answer that. I think were making it too easy on teams with those one-pass, two-pass or no-pass shots.
The struggles on offense seemed to impact the defensive end. Detroit entered the night ranked second in 3-point percentage. The Cavs knew that was going to play a pivotal role. And yet, the Pistons launched repeatedly. With little resistance. In all, the Pistons made 18 triples, shooting a sizzling 51.4% from long range.
Even on a night backup center John Henson returned from a 17-game absence because of a hamstring injury, Detroits size overwhelmed the smaller Cavaliers -- a constant during this rough stretch. The Pistons scored 60 points in the paint, out-rebounded the Cavs 46-39 and had six blocks, with All-Star center Andre Drummond patrolling the middle and forcing the Cavs to look unsure around the rim.
Beilein was eager to see how his team would respond after what he called two energetic, positive practices that felt a little like training camp on Sunday and Monday. It was the first real break in a relentless schedule that allowed the Cavs to work on the basics -- play-calling, positioning, defense, passing, pivoting. He believed the Cavs got better over the last few days. One of the final lines of his opening statement about two hours before tipoff was filled with optimism.
I hope youre going to see it in about 100 minutes or so, he said.
Not quite. The two days of practice didnt help Cleveland break out of this weeks-long funk. As the eight-win Pistons pushed the lead to a game-high 35 points, the boos poured in from the perturbed crowd.
Im disappointed, but not going to flinch, Beilein said after the game. "I cant explain it. I thought we came out with a little bit of bounce, we looked good, then they took a huge lead, then we came bouncing right back, then it was 16 at half. Our offense was not good, our defense was equally bad. But the cagey veterans, the guys that theyve got that have been around for a while are taking advantage of it and they should.
We will just keep working really hard at growing the team with every practice, with every film session, with every weight training session. Were not getting Cs, were going to get As every time we do that, thats one thing we can really control.
Given the circumstances and opponent, this was the Cavs worst performance of the season. Its back to the drawing board. Beilein is officially in unfamiliar territory.
Up next
The Cavs will wrap up their homestand on Friday night against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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Cleveland Cavaliers John Beilein in unfamiliar territory after 127-94 loss to Detroit Pistons - cleveland.com
