I honestly thought the missed rebound early in the second (when Lowry missed both FT) that Hayward bobbled out of bounds completely changed the tenor of this game. While perhaps one play doesn’t account for this type of drubbing, I think we were playing fairly well until that mishap.
That extra-possession ultimately led to a 3-pointer, which then they followed up with two more, and the run was on and before you know it the 4-point lead we had was a 14-point deficit in just minutes.
I don’t know how a team can lose focus or just get rattled that easily to let a team embarrass them with their best player on the bench.
I now fully expect a loss tomorrow too, these guys just aren’t playing together. They are WAY too talented to keep dropping games like this. And this team points their fingers at everyone when times are bad.
I like the players, I don’t like the personalities. I hope they get their act together when the playoffs roll around, but they are ALL going to need to re-evaluate their demeanor once the ball gets tipped.
I now believe regardless of what happens in the playoffs, even if we win a title, we are going to see pretty significant changes to this roster. And that doesn’t necessarily mean trading everyone under 23 for AD. I can see Kyrie leaving and changing the entire feel of this franchise.
I honestly never expected the lack of heart, cohesion, and comraderie from this team and I am even more surprised Brad doesn’t have a better handle on this mess.