Live Thread: Cavs @ Grizzlies

After last night’s loss to the Wizards at home, the honeymoon may be over for the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers, but the bloom is hardly off the rose. Sure, the defense still needs some fixing, someone besides LeBron James needs to attack the basket, and those open threes need to fall, but it’s still a marked improvement over where the team had been prior to the trades. It’s one thing to lose because a bunch of shots go in and out. That happens sometimes, and is easily fixed. It’s a much bigger problem when a team loses because they don’t like each other and can’t be bothered with giving any effort. The Cavaliers seem to have moved on from the latter problem, which is an enormous step in the right direction.

They’ll have a chance to get back on the winning side of the ledger tonight as they head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies. Grit N’ Grind is long gone as Memphis has lost seven games in a row to fall to 18-38 on the season. While the return of Tyreke Evans should help the Grizzlies, and Marc Gasol is a tough cover for the the smaller Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr., they are one of seven teams (plus the Brooklyn Nets, who have no incentive to lose) who are in the race to the bottom known as Tankapalooza 2018. Unlike the Mavericks and Bulls, the Grizzlies may not admit to tanking, but there’s no doubt which way the rest of their season is headed. With LeBron and the rest of the team seemingly rejuvenated, the Cavaliers should be favored despite being on the second night of a back-to-back.

Be sure to check tune in tonight at 8 pm on Fox Sports Ohio, and be sure to stop by and share your thoughts here at Cavs: The Blog!