Cavaliers air grievances at team meeting

Their season and NBA title hopes slipping away, the Cleveland Cavaliers vented during a team meeting on Monday in hopes of clearing the air.

After losing 10 of 14, Cleveland’s players voiced their concerns and displeasure before practice, a person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press while the team was in San Antonio preparing for Tuesday’s game.

There was “frustration all around” during the meeting, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because of the sensitive nature of the discussion.

The person said there was a sense the session was “constructive” if the team can “move forward from it.”

Following an embarrassing 148124 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday, guards Dwyane Wade and Isaiah Thomas spoke about players needing to be more accountable and saying there was a lack of trust on defence.

Forward Kyle Korver echoed those comments, adding it was time for players to look in the mirror and ask what more each could do for the team.

“You just can’t point fingers,” Korver said.

The Thunder shredded the Cavaliers from every angle and area on the floor. Cleveland’s suspect defence has been an issue all season and it has grown worse since all-star guard Thomas returned from injury.

The Cavaliers, who won 18 of 19 earlier this season, have fallen behind Boston and Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings and their recent problems have raised questions about whether they can get back to their fourth straight NBA Finals.

“We’ve seen it, that we can string together a lot of wins,” Kevin Love said.

Cleveland has the assets to improve its roster — the NBA’s oldest — and could use one of two firstround draft picks to land a top-tier player before the Feb. 8 deadline.