Cavs in crisis, again

We're seeing the opposite of esprit de corps in action in Cleveland.

Good morning. Let's basketball.

A serious team should have real trouble losing by double digits to a 3-7 opponent missing three starters, including their two best players. Trailing big in such a game in the third quarter, a serious team should be mad as hell and fight like hell to get back into it. The superstar on said team should do something, anything, to break the spell and exact change. The rising big man behind him should meet that energy and, if necessary, break stuff on the floor to change the course of the game. The legendary veteran on the squad should share some inspiration or show what pride of competitiveness means through his actions, and rally the troops. The coach should make a point or two through how he handles a sleepwalking, non-competitive team that is supposed to hold itself as serious in a tough conference with a free win on the table for the taking.

Alas, the Cleveland Cavaliers went into Charlotte on Monday and did none of that. Instead, with the Hornets missing Kon Knueppel (out four more weeks), Brandon Miller and Moussa Diabate, the Cavaliers fell behind badly in the second quarter, came out of halftime not mad, not prideful, not fighting ... but just let Charlotte totally run away with the game.

Charlotte built their lead every time Donovan Mitchell (the superstar) left the floor ... but Mitchell's return to the court never aligned with Cleveland (the far superior team) roaring back. He didn't start pressing his physical and skill advantages until the end of the third quarter, when the game appeared out of reach. He had three attempts in the paint and two FTAs in the first half ... against Coby White and Grayson Allen, with Ryan Kalkbrenner protecting the rim. What?

Evan Mobley (the rising big man) did his job on defense for the most part; Charlotte shot the hell out of the ball, sometimes there's nothing you can do about that. But Mobley is not being paid exclusively for his defense. At no point did he appear bothered that he wasn't getting touches against Kalkbrenner, Naz Reid and Hannes Steinbach. He had five FGAs through three quarters. What?

Peyton Watson has been a mess in Cleveland, and Jarrett Allen did his job in his return from a knee bruise. That leaves us with the fifth starter for Cleveland, the aforementioned legendary veteran.

James Harden, legendary for good and legitimate reasons and also legendary for clips like this.

Kenny Atkinson called a timeout a couple possessions later, but notably didn't take Harden out. He instead stuck with his normal rotation, pulling Mitchell and leaving Harden in until the 3-minute mark. The Cavaliers' deficit bloomed from 20 to 30 in that span. Harden didn't have it on offense, throwing the ball around a little too loosely.

Cleveland made a bet last winter that Harden's impressive offensive talent, gravity and experience could help the Cavaliers – always missing a certain je ne sais quoi – get over the hump. And Cleveland did (barely) make the conference finals, where the Knicks dropkicked them to Cancun. Mission accomplished, one supposes. But this is the other side of that James Harden commemorative coin. You know the French phrase esprit de corps? When things go sideways, late-stage Harden gives a certain ... uh, opposite of that. Let's call it découragement de corps.