CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Cavs walked into the locker room at halftime of their eventual 14th straight win against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the mood was anything but celebratory. Despite scoring 49 points in the first quarter — their best period in regular-season franchise history — Cleveland was met with Kenny Atkinson slamming a flip-flop in frustration.
Even when leading by four points at the break, their new head coach’s actions served as a wake-up call that surrendering 73 points in a half was unacceptable.
Defense was supposed to be Cleveland’s identity.