Earlier this week, LeBron James hinted he's tired of playing on Christmas Day, something he's done in 10 of his 13 seasons.
As James learned Saturday, the holiday season can get even worse. One night after losing a Christmas Day game on the road to the Warriors 89-83 in a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers looked nothing like a Finals-caliber team. Playing their second road game in two nights, the Cavaliers were blown out by the Damian Lillard-less Trail Blazers 105-76.
MORE: Ranking the top 10 NBA moments of 2015
Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer offered a scathing review of the team's performance: "The defensive problems stemmed from lethargy, lack of effort and almost no attention to detail," he wrote. "The Cavs were turned inside-out by Portland's passing and cutting. The Blazers encounter more resistance in practice."
That the Cavaliers (19-9) looked a bit sluggish is not surprising, but no one would have predicted they would come out this flat. James shot 4 of 13 from the floor and finished with only 12 points. Portland led 63-34 at the half.
On defense, the Cavs seemed to have no answer for Allen Crabbe, the Portland forward who came in averaging 10 points a game. He lit up the Cavs for 26 points.
Things don't get much easier for the Cavaliers in the next few days. The team's road trip continues with games Monday in Phoenix and Tuesday in Denver before the Cavs return home for a Jan. 2 game with the Magic.