The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA lately. They won 17 of 18 games, and it was a streak that propelled them to second place in the Eastern Conference.
But their nine-game winning streak ended Monday when they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers at home, 123-121. What made the loss sting a lot more was that reigning league MVP Joel Embiid was out due to his knee injury.
The nature of the loss seemed to make Donovan Mitchell call out his team and say it deserved to lose.
Cleveland has been winning with defense over the last couple of seasons, and it ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating. But on Monday, it allowed the Sixers to shoot 54.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point range.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
This was the type of loss a young team such as the Cavs needs to learn from and use to grow and get to the next level.
Mitchell is having another sensational season by averaging 28.3 points and a career-high 6.3 assists per game, shooting 47.5 percent overall and 36.3 percent from 3-point land. He can and will carry his team to victory when needed, and like any other star, he needs his teammates to help him out, particularly on the defensive end.
The Eastern Conference isn’t the Eastern Conference of 10 years ago or even five years ago. It is stronger from top to bottom, and multiple teams, such as the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers, have gotten better, at least on paper.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
There isn’t much room for a team such as Cleveland to drop games it should win while still holding onto an optimal seed.
Cleveland will play the Sixers again, this time in Philadelphia, on Feb. 23, and it will be an opportunity for it to make amends for its lackluster performance on Monday.
