CLEVELAND — Many coaches will tell you that there is no such thing as an ugly win. But there sure are ugly losses.
The Cavaliers had the type of defeat Thursday night that left them questioning some things. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff held a much lengthier than normal conversation in the locker room after the game.
When Bickerstaff finally made it to the podium for his postgame press conference with reporters, he was still visibly upset. His answers, often lengthy and detailed, were now short and to the point.
"Just trying to get an understanding of where we are going and how we are going to get there," Bickerstaff said of the discussion in the locker room.
For most of the night on Thursday, the Cavs were cruising with a large lead against the rebuilding, lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers . The Cavs should have kept rolling to an easy win. They could have won their third consecutive game. They would have ended the night on a much more positive note — had they not blown a double-digit lead late in the third quarter.
"It's a bad loss. I think we all hold ourselves accountable for that," said Donovan Mitchell . "I do as well. I think I'm always willing to take that. I think we all felt it."
It was everything the team didn't want to see. It wasn't just another game in the loss column, it was the type of game that they hope is a wake-up call.
Or at least, they know it better be an alarm of sorts. Hitting the snooze button isn't an option for a team fresh off of an early playoff exit to the New York Knicks and wanting to win its first playoff series without LeBron James in three decades.
"I know it will be," Mitchell said, referring to Thursday night's loss being a wake-up call an angry locker room. "We want to be a championship-caliber team. We're not playing like it."
For the first time in a long time, the Cavs heard boos directed their way from the home fans. For several years, the Cavs have exceeded expectations compared to preseason projections. But the Cavs want more. The fanbase does, too.
Afterward, the Cavs had zero problem with or argument against the boo birds.
"It's part of the game, to be honest," Mitchell said. "I'm not one that's anti-that. You come in expecting to perform a certain way. We didn't do that. That's on us and at the end of the day, to prevent the boos, you play ell and win the game."
"I mean, I was booing when I was a kid, too, so I understand."
Bickerstaff added that yes, he heard them loud and clear.
"It's the fan's reaction and their choice to do that," he said.
Through 19 games, the Cavs are now 10-9. They've dealt with a series of injuries that have largely left them with unanswered questions. After last season's first-round exit to the Knicks , the Cavs have statements they want to make . They haven't yet materialized on the floor.
"We all know we're a really good team, but some days we just have those lackadaisical days, and that's where we have to grow at," Garland said. "We have to act like a playoff team as we talk about it."
One step forward, two steps back.
"We can either sit here and keep having this conversation or we can do something about it," Mitchell said. "I think we'll do something about it. I know we will. I just talked to guys in this group, in this locker room. It's a turning point."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers hold meeting after loss to Portland Trail Blazers
