The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost two straight games after being blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers, but head coach David Blatt says that is no reason to panic. The team has gotten back both Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert from injuries and while that has given the Cavs a boost, it has also forced the team to change some things that had been working earlier in the season.
The Cavs come into their next game at 19-9 and the top team in the east, but there is some concern from that the rhythm of the offense could take some time to get going. After the loss to the Blazers, LeBron James spoke to the Cleveland Plain Dealer about having Irving and Shumpert back in the rotation and said that "offensively we're just in a funk right now. We just got to find our rhythm." James mentioned the "chemistry" built on the roster over the first couple months of the season, but the team now basically has to start from scratch with Irving and Shumpert back.
Having Irving back obviously is a positive thing, as he is one of the best point guards in the league, but his return has changed up how the team runs things on offense compared to the first stretch of the season. James now will be playing off the ball more and with Irving and Shumpert back, Kevin Love could see fewer touches, which was an issue last season. Love was off to a strong start this year and while the team likely will ease back into things eventually, the dynamic on offense has changed up with Irving in the lineup.
Blatt still is trying to figure out the best way to use his bench and how to get the rotation flowing now that Shumpert and Irving are back. Matthew Dellavedova and Mo Williams played more minutes while Irving was out with an injury and now those players likely will play fewer minutes. Blatt said the loss against the Blazers, which came without Damian Lillard in the lineup, was a "bad night" and not a sign of the Cavs being a bad team.
James only played 27 minutes in the 105-76 loss against Portland and the team was down by 30 in the game at one point in the third quarter. James said that the team will not "overreact" to the loss and that he expects the Cavs to bounce back against the Suns in their next game.
"We have no rhythm," James said, according to ESPN. "We have some guys who don't know if they're going to play, or if they are going to play and it's hurting our rhythm a little bit. And the only thing that is going to help it is practice and games. This is, what, Game 3 since everyone has been back? It's not looked very well so far."