The Cavs’ puzzling loss to the Blazers uncover Lapses, in which the Cavs unveils Strategy to Forestall

Will the genuine Cleveland Cavaliers please stand?

Sure, Cleveland’s driveways may be slick, but that doesn’t mean the Cavs should let easy wins slip through their fingers. The Cavaliers blew a tremendous opportunity to win three games in a row, falling 103-95 at home to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Everything that could go wrong for the Wine and Gold, went wrong. They had 17 turnovers. They shot seven-of-32 from 3-point range. They were outscored 29-20 in a pivotal fourth quarter. They were letting two-way Blazers forward Duop Reath get key buckets, and he is someone that came into the game shooting below 40% from the field.

It was an all-around atrocity for the Cavs. Their fans were so disgusted that they booed them off the floor. Coach JB Bickerstaff was so upset his postgame presser only lasted two minutes. Donovan Mitchell called it “the worst loss of the season” and spoke about moving forward like there had been a death.

In a game like this, there are almost no positives. Here is one stud and two duds from the Cavs’ inexplicable loss to the Blazers.

Stud: Evan Mobley

On a cold night in Cleveland, it was the kid from California who tried to bring the heat. Sadly, he was the only stud from this game.

It was nice to see Evan Mobley be one of the only Cavs players to show up to play in a dismal game. Mobley has continued his evolution in his third year. He finished the game with 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting nine-of-14 from the field. He was efficient and dominated the paint all night.

He thoroughly outplayed Blazers big man DeAndre Ayton, as Ayton only finished with ten points and six rebounds. Mobley doubled his points and outrebounded him by two, rising to the challenge of defending the onetime No. 1 overall pick.

In his last ten games, Mobley has found his consistency. He is averaging a strong double-double of 17 points per game and 11 rebounds. He has eight double-doubles in that stretch and has not scored below single digits in any game. He has shot below 50% in only one game. He is also averaging about two blocks per game in that stretch. He has become reliable, more physical, and the perfect third option that the Cavs have needed. Let’s hope his consistent play can trickle down to the rest of the roster, including a certain playmaker.

Dud: Darius Garland

I love Darius Garland. He is one of the best pure point guards in the NBA. He has a great all-around offensive game and is an elite playmaker. He did not play up to any of this against the Blazers. Garland had eight turnovers on the night and shot six-of-18 from the field. He was two-of-eight from three, and sure he had seven assists, but he was not the steady floor general that the Cavs were missing for the whole game.

Turnovers have been a problem for Garland all season, even in games he has played well. He is averaging well over four turnovers per game, and it gets to a certain point where the simple solution is this: grow up. You are a fifth-year NBA player. You should not be making this many mental mistakes in a game. You strive to play at an All-Star level every single night. At some point, Garland needs to get over this turnover issue. Stop being so reckless with the ball, and make the simple read that will keep the offense moving, or get someone an easy basket.

It boggles my mind how many wrap-around passes in traffic he attempts per game at times. A rookie point guard who is trying to make a name for himself makes those mistakes. Not NBA All-Stars. Garland needs to get his act together if the Cavs want to eliminate this bad taste from their mouths.

Dud: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell goes from stud to dud in a matter of one game. After Mitchell erupted for 40 points against the Atlanta Hawks, he followed that up with 23 points on seven-of-20 shooting, and one-of-nine from three. He single handedly dropped the temperature in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

There is no doubt that Mitchell is one of the best players in the NBA, but on a night when your team doesn’t have it, you would expect your superstar to pick up the slack. I know Mitchell can’t be Superman every game, but the Cavs needed him against the Blazers, and he came up small. He was Ant-Man on a night where the Wine and Gold needed Spider-Man.

In his four games since returning from his hamstring injury, Mitchell is shooting an ice-cold 34% from the field. He needs to return to the elite form that we saw at the beginning of the season, where he was being talked about as an MVP candidate. If he doesn’t, things could go from bad to worse quickly for the Cavs.

The hope is that this inexcusable loss will serve as a wake up call for the Cavs. It truly seems like they needed one, as it has looked like they have slept-walked through games at times this season. They need to wake up. We are entering December. If this team wants to achieve their goals, they need to develop better habits.

The Cavs head to Detroit to play the league-worst Pistons on Saturday. This should be a much-needed bounce back for them. Hopefully, they don’t play with their food.