Although they have played better since getting off to a horrid start, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still not playing like the championship contender that everyone expected. That also includes some of the best players on the team, who are stressing the need to play better.
None other than LeBron James was quite candid about his thoughts on the state of the Cavaliers following a 101-91 loss to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. It was his first visit to Miami since leaving the team via free agency over the summer.
LeBron: "We’re not that good right now. We’ve won some really good games, we’ve lost some games, but we’re not that good right now"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2014
James has not been afraid to speak his mind about the team so far in this season, which will probably benefit Cleveland in the long run. He has championship experience, and many of the players around him are quite young, so a strong leader is necessary if this team hopes to reach the heights that were expected of them.
Of course, James is not the only superstar in Cleveland, and teammate Kevin Love had no problem addressing the team's subpar defense.
Kevin Love on the reason for the Cavs' poor D: "I don't know. Trust probably? I think that's what, I'm guessing, most people would say" — Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2014
The team did just lose Anderson Varejao for the season to a torn Achilles' tendon, but the team struggled even before his injury. Varejao will be sorely missed, however, as he is one of the best defensive big men in the NBA.
The Cavaliers are currently 17-11 and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference. They are only 4.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors, who are currently in first in the conference, so the team can still easily attain a high seed in the playoffs. In order for that to happen, they will need to find their rhythm on the defensive end of the floor.
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