The effort from the Cavaliers last night was insurmountable.....except in the second quarter when the Cavs were outscored 36-15 and quickly lost the 28-26 lead they held after the first. The Cavs have had the third quarter blues most of the season and in their five wins have found a way to overcome this shortcoming, but when you are playing a team like the Hornets on their home floor, this just can not happen.
The Cavs really fought back in the second half, outscoring the Hornets in the third and forth quarters, but that second quarter debacle was something even the best of teams in basketball cannot overcome. Coach Scott has a way with this team that Mike Brown never seemed to master and that my friend is heart, drive, and motivation. The main concern here is what you might tend to find with young players (or young people in general) and that is the ability to see the task at hand, stay focused, and play from start to finish with no down time in between.
With this being said, I truly feel this is what comes with the learning curve of a group of young guys and a couple of experienced guys as well trying to find their place and finally getting their chance to show the basketball world what they're made of. This team has a huge upside with only eleven games under their belts. They have plenty of time to fix this one quarter lag and challenge for a top spot in the Central Divison.