CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers were going through a funk, backsliding and backbiting. But the Nets were the cure for what ailed them.
LeBron James had been outspoken about the front office’s roster management, and questioned the club’s (read: owner Dan Gilbert’s) willingness to spend and commitment to winning. And the defending champions had lost six of their past eight. That is, until they got hold of the Nets.
The Cavaliers won 124-116 at Quicken Loans Arena in a game that wasn’t that close, leading by 23 in the fourth quarter and cruising to the finish.
“At the end of the day the road to a championship or the road to success shouldn’t be a bed of roses. It’s never been my road. I shouldn’t even expect anything different,’’ said James, who had a game-high 31 points and 11 assists, leaving to an ovation with 4:49 left. “So having bumps in the road, it builds character, and I think it’s good for our team.”
The Cavs (31-14) were hardly at their dominant best, but they at least regained a little of their lost swagger, led by 23 and have a chance — with three games in four days — to play their way back to their old form.
“Hell yeah, I feel better,’’ coach Tyronn Lue said. “It feels good to get a win any way you can get it.”
They actually had to work for it. But leading just 60-53 in the third quarter, they used a 20-7 spurt to blow the game open.
Kyrie Irving had 28 points and six assists, including 20 in the third quarter when Cleveland shot 70 percent and outscored the Nets 39-26.
Still, they were beating up on the NBA’s worst team. The Cavaliers’ standards should be higher, which is part of James’ complaint.
There is a clear schism between James and the front office. He openly has called for the Cavaliers to add a playmaker. It clearly hasn’t gone over well with Gilbert.
“He’s the owner of the team. I’m one of the players on the team,” James said Friday morning. “I think all 14 guys have a working relationship with our owner. It’s not about me and it’s not about him, so, it’s a non-issue.”
On one side of the argument, Cleveland has the NBA’s highest payroll at $130 million, and recently acquired shooter Kyle Korver. On the other, the Cavaliers actually saved millions in that deal, have left a roster spot open for three weeks (note James referring to 14 players?) and need another playmaker.
But it’s noteworthy that the Cavs are actually split into two sides. It bubbled over Monday with James’ profanity-laced rant, and his ensuing tweets did little to show a unified front. Neither did the team’s skid.
Make that their skid before facing the Nets (9-37).
“It’s frustrating, but this is who we are,” Lue said. “This is the third year in a row this happened to us. We seem to go through these lulls midway through the season. This always happens. I don’t know why, but we’ve got to play better. We understand that and we will.
“We’re the champs and right now we’re going through a tough stretch, but that’s nothing. Everybody goes through a tough stretch. You’ve got to dig yourselves out of it. We’re capable of doing it and we’re going to do it.”
They did it Friday night, at the Nets’ expense.