LeBron questions Cavaliers' desire to win following loss to Pistons
Another defeat for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and another reason for LeBron James to be openly frustrated with his team's performance early in the season.
Cleveland lost its second game in a row on Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, falling 104-99 to Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons, who made key free throws down the stretch to overcome a late four-point deficit. It's the first time the Cavaliers have fallen in consecutive games this season; the team had won eight straight contests from Oct. 28 to Nov. 13. Their last four wins weren't overly convincing, though, with each coming by six points or less against inferior competition.
The Cavaliers now sit at 8-3 on the season, while the Golden State Warriors - who defeated Cleveland in last year's NBA Finals - remain undefeated at 11-0. James is taking issue with the fact that the team which prevented him from hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for a third time has been playing with more passion than his own squad.
"We lost in the Finals. We didn't win. We lost," James said following the loss to Detroit, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And the team that beat us looks hungrier than we are. It shouldn't be that way."
James - who is averaging 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists - hasn't been one to shy away from calling out his teammates when he's reached his boiling point. After the Milwaukee Bucks ended the Cavs' winning streak in overtime this past Saturday, James said his team had been competing with "half-ass effort sometimes." The game prior at Madison Square Garden, the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player was seen screaming at his team, asking them if they "want to play."
Head coach David Blatt seemed to echo his star's sentiments after Tuesday's loss.
"We need to toughen up," Blatt said. "I don't think we displayed the kind of toughness that made us a team last year. I didn't see that ..."
A key cog to Cleveland's roster, in point guard Kyrie Irving, remains on the sidelines as he recovers from knee fracture surgery. His absence simply can't be ignored as a potential cause of Cleveland's recent struggles, although the Cavaliers certainly have enough talent to be more effective than they currently are without him.
Related: Irving rejects 'injury prone' label: 'I'm nowhere near close to breaking down'
Cleveland returns home to Quicken Loans Arena for its next three games, beginning with a visit from the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.