CLEVELAND - It isn't always easy for a point guard with All-Star pedigree to blend in with a team that already features an MVP candidate. Just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Isaiah Thomas experiment continues to be an unmitigated disaster for the Cavaliers. The pairing with LeBron James has been worse than anyone could possibly have imagined, with Cleveland getting outscored by 14.9 points per 100 possession in the 286 minutes that duo has played together, the seventh-worst tandem in the NBA since Thomas made his season debut in early January.
That's quite a stark contrast to the Houston Rockets, a contender who added to the Cavaliers' misery with a 120-88 rout Saturday night in front of an occasionally booing Quicken Loans Arena and a national television audience.