AP
The Cavaliers can’t keep spotting teams 20-point leads.
They can’t allow players such as Payton Pritchard to stroll into Rocket Arena and torch them for 42. And they can’t keep talking about continuity while never actually having any.
They say they know these things are true. But lately, not enough is changing.
Sunday’s 117-115 loss to the Celtics was the latest example. The Cavs trailed by 21 late in the third, looked disjointed for most of the night, then suddenly came alive in the fourth.
Darius Garland scored 13 in the final 12 minutes. Donovan Mitchell added nine of his 18. Evan Mobley was terrific most of the game with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
The Cavs clawed back. They made it interesting. Mobley even had a decent look to tie at the end.
But they couldn’t overcome Pritchard, who looked more like prime Kobe than a 6-foot guard with modest foot speed. He hit 15 of 22 shots and controlled the night from start to finish.
For a team that wants to think big again, that simply cannot happen. Someone has to take that matchup personally. No one did.
The injuries don’t help. Jarrett Allen is battling issues with both ring fingers. Sam Merrill remains out. Larry Nance Jr is sidelined for weeks.
With no consistent rotation, the Cavs look clunky — not broken, not collapsing, just never quite in sync.
Credit the young guys for competing. Tyrese Proctor, Jaylon Tyson and Nae’Qwan Tomlin keep giving the Cavs real minutes in real games. It’s one of the few steady positives.
But this was a winnable game. Boston played a tight one the night before. The Cavs had chances.
They just don’t have the margin for error to play from behind every night.
Cleveland is now 12-9, losers of three straight. Still talented. Still capable. Still waiting to look like themselves.
They visit Indiana on Monday, and at some point, the consistency has to show up with them.
This isn’t panic time. But it is pattern time. And right now, the pattern isn’t great.
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