Kyrie Irving insists the Cavaliers have not tuned out coach Mike Brown.
After another sorry performance in a 100-89 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night in The Q, the Cavs All-Star point guard says the coach has not lost the team.
“Anything he needs us to go out and do I’m willing to do, and I know my teammates are willing to do as well,” Irving said.
“As a team, we go through stretches where there are ups and downs. I leave my trust with coach Brown. I’m riding with him. Whatever he says and whatever he needs me to do, I’m going to go out there and do. I’m pretty sure all my teammates feel the same way. That’s where that rests.”
Yet for the fourth time in this five-game homestand, the Cavs did neither of the things Brown preaches every day — compete on defense and pass the ball on offense.
After Sunday’s face plant in which the Cavs lost a 20-point first-half lead in a 99-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns, one might have thought they’d want to atone for that performance before heading out on the road for three games. But they allowed the Pelicans to shoot 63 percent in the second quarter and end the half on a 16-0 run, then they were worse defensively in the third quarter, when they let the Pelicans shoot 65 percent.
“Our competitive spirit is nonexistent,” said Brown, whose squad fell to 16-29, 11-12 at home. “Right now what we’re doing out there is unacceptable. It’s not good enough.”
Brown, who talked about shaking things up but didn’t offer any specifics, said he thought his players were listening to him.
“I believe so,” he said. “We had a helluva practice yesterday. I wish we could bottle that up and move on. But this has been our season, if you think about it. We play well, then we float. We bounce back and play well again and then we float. This isn’t the first time that this has happened to us during the course of the season.”
Which is, of course, the problem.
Struggling rookie Anthony Bennett had his best game of the season, with 15 points in 31 minutes — both career highs — and a career-high tying eight rebounds. But the 13,985 hardy fans who braved the frigid temperatures left colder than when they entered.
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