The Cavs\u2019 non-competitive 136-104 setback to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> wasn\u2019t about who was missing \u2014 although point guard Darius Garland (right great toe sprain) probably would\u2019ve helped steady an erratic offense and Sam Merrill (sprained right hand) might\u2019ve loosened Oklahoma City\u2019s stifling defense. <\/p>\nIt wasn\u2019t about an unrelenting schedule stretch \u2014 the Cavs had two days off for the first time all month leading into the showdown. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t about any number of excuses (explanations?) used during the first half of this inconsistent regular season, with this flawed preseason conference favorite spending months mired in mediocrity before a recent upswing finally vaulted Cleveland out of play-in position \u2014 albeit temporarily. <\/p>\n
The Cavs are 24-20, seventh in the East. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t about talent \u2014 even though the Oklahoma City advantage was obvious, perhaps a bigger disparity than the Cavs would care to concede, especially considering they have the league\u2019s most expensive roster and are the only team in the punitive second apron. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t about an unfavorable whistle \u2014 a common complaint against the Thunder. The Cavs attempted 15 more free throws and committed three fewer fouls. <\/p>\n
It was about habits. Standards. Maturity. Identity. Will. <\/p>\n
\u201cTotal domination,\u201d Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said afterward. \u201cDefense, offense, I just think they showed why they\u2019re champions. They dominated us \u2014 in every phase.”<\/p>\n
The Thunder look like champions. They act like champions. They carry themselves like champions. Play like champions. Compete like champions. They have forged that mentality \u2014 and identity \u2014 over the last couple years. <\/p>\n
On Monday, they did it without All-Star swingman Jalen Williams \u2014 the team\u2019s third leading scorer who is set to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury \u2014 and starting center Isaiah Hartenstein (calf strain). Then they did it without defensive pest Alex Caruso and fill-in starter Jaylin Williams \u2014 both of whom exited early with injuries. In the second half, before the game was decided and benches were emptied, the Thunder had basically eight guys. <\/p>\n
And yet, Oklahoma City looked better, deeper, tougher, bigger, faster and hungrier. It was more dynamic, more skilled, more athletic, more physical, more focused, more relentless and more connected. <\/p>\n
The 36-win Thunder, currently with the best point differential in NBA history, led for 46 minutes, by a game-high 32 points. <\/p>\n
In a lopsided matchup that featured just three lead changes and one tie, Cleveland\u2019s biggest advantage was two points. It was in front for 77 seconds \u2014 total. It was a double-digit Thunder advantage for all but 39 seconds of the second half, when the Cavs closed to within nine on three separate occasions. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s what a champion looks like.<\/p>\n
Killer instinct. No waning effort. No slippage. No excuses. No mercy. <\/p>\n
Were the Cavs paying attention?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think watching them defensively, they make the little rotations, they do the little things consistently,\u201d said Donovan Mitchell, who was held to just 19 points on 5 of 18 shooting. \u201cI think that\u2019s where we\u2019ve been at our best \u2014 when we do little things consistently. They\u2019re elite at it. They\u2019re defending champions for a reason. I think taking that and kind of stealing something from them, watching their habits one-through-15.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s that word again. Habits. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t uttered by Mitchell \u2014 the unequivocal team leader \u2014 on accident. It\u2019s something Mitchell has preached since training camp. More than halfway through the regular season, Cleveland\u2019s habits aren\u2019t on par with the league\u2019s elite \u2014 a reality that helps explain the maddening inconsistency. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to let this game take away from the past week,\u201d Mitchell said, pointing to back-to-back road victories over Philadelphia and another triumph against Minnesota. \u201cThis one\u2019s upsetting. We can learn from it. Not going to let this deflate what we had in Philly. It\u2019s not early, but I know what this group is capable of. We know what we\u2019re capable of. This loss isn\u2019t going to set us back. We\u2019ve got to continue to do what we\u2019ve been doing and go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cavs do it sometimes. The Thunder do it most of the time. <\/p>\n
Coming into the season, no team was predicted to finish with more wins than Oklahoma City. The Cavs were tabbed as second. The two teams are currently 12 victories apart. <\/p>\n
Cleveland boasts about being a defense-first team. So does OKC. <\/p>\n
The Cavs rank 15th \u2014 middle of the pack \u2014 in defensive efficiency. Oklahoma City is No. 1, for the second consecutive season, leading Detroit by more than three points per 100 possessions and nearly 10 points per 100 possessions better than the Cavs. <\/p>\n
\u201cTheir defense is so good,\u201d Jarrett Allen admitted. \u201cI felt like it took us out of what we\u2019re so good at, getting down the court, sharing the ball, and just making sure everything\u2019s smooth. Credit to them, they disrupted us. That\u2019s because of their great defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
The suffocating Thunder forced 21 turnovers, turning those into 23 points. They held the Cavs to 37.4% from the field and 22.9% from 3-point range, finishing with a defensive rating of 97.2 \u2014 the 12th time this season keeping an opposing offense below the century threshold. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey capitalize on every single mistake that you make,\u201d Allen said. \u201cWe made plenty of mistakes today.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the Thunder M.O. Their constant pressure stresses teams, forcing them into uncharacteristic screw-ups. There are multiple efforts. Danger lurks with every dribble. Each pass is contested. The margin for error is razor thin. Nothing comes easy. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was physicality and force, but I also think it was our reads,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t read the game right. The decision-making was troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was only one end of the floor. The other end, supposedly Cleveland\u2019s backbone, was worse. <\/p>\n
Answerless and overwhelmed, the Cavs finished with a defensive rating of 127.1 \u2014 their fifth-worst mark this season \u2014 while allowing OKC to shoot 56% from the field and 49% from deep. In all, the Thunder made 23 triples, tied for their most in any game this season and just the fifth time hitting at least 20. <\/p>\n
Garland, Merrill and Max Strus (foot surgery) all could have helped. <\/p>\n
But at some point, it\u2019s no longer about who a team doesn\u2019t have. It\u2019s about who they are. <\/p>\n
The Thunder haven\u2019t been a picture of health. Williams and Hartenstein have missed 20 games apiece. Caruso has been sidelined for 13. Lu Dort has been out for 11. Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe and SGA have all missed time. <\/p>\n
Nothing has slowed the NBA-leading Thunder. They just keep overcoming. They have an unwavering standard to meet. <\/p>\n
There are levels to greatness. There\u2019s a difference between being a theoretical contender (Cleveland) and a practical one (Oklahoma City). A difference between being a champion and a wannabe. <\/p>\n
That difference was profusely evident Monday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Championships aren\u2019t won in January. But they can be lost \u2014 and the habits built…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3783],"tags":[7,69732,6,310,475,179,75237,3966,3965,312],"class_list":["post-549901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-basketball","tag-cleveland-cavaliers-2025-2026","tag-nba","tag-oklahoma","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder-2025-2026","tag-oklahomacity","tag-oklahomacitythunder","tag-thunder"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115930234038313838","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}