Written by Jesse Lamovsky

---

In the NBA, a 26-point lead isn’t necessarily insurmountable. The Cavaliers found that out the hard way in Phoenix Friday night as they watched a gigantic second-quarter lead slip away in a 107-105 loss to the Suns. The defeat drops Cleveland to 1-3 on this arduous road trip, a record that would be 3-1 if not for a circus shot by Brandon Jennings and a circus comeback by the Suns.

Fourteen Minutes of Heaven: The defeat what wasted what might have been the best quarter-plus stretch of basketball the Cavaliers have played this young season. Cleveland came out ready to play against a laggard Phoenix team that was fresh off lopsided defeats at Orlando and at Miami. Doing whatever they wanted, the Cavaliers built leads of 10-0, 16-2, 22-4, 32-11 and the high-water mark of 42-16 a minute-and-a-half into the second quarter.

Cleveland’s flying start came courtesy of both sides of the ball. Offensively they hit nine of their first ten shots and got everyone involved, with seven players accounting for their first 42 points. Defensively they racked up ten Phoenix turnovers in the first quarter-plus and held the Suns to 30 percent shooting in that same span.

Of course, we know that in the NBA everybody makes a run. It was so early, with more than 34 minutes of basketball remaining, that you just knew- provided they could get something going before intermission- that the Suns could make this one a dogfight.

The Dogfight Ensues: Sure enough, Phoenix got something going before intermission. Although the Suns regrouped somewhat after falling into their 26-point hole, Cleveland almost made it to the locker room with the impetus, leading 60-43 with 51.9 seconds remaining. But a Jared Dudley three-pointer and free throws by Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair made it a 13-point game going into halftime, and countless teams have overcome that deficit in the final 24 minutes.

Holding the Line (for the Moment): The Cavaliers actually did a fairly good job of keeping Phoenix at arm’s length for most of the third period. Although the Suns drew to within five, Cleveland kept coming up with the answers. When Alonzo Gee hammered down a Kyrie Irving feed, it was 83-71 with 2:21 left in the period. It seemed at that point as if the Cavaliers were close to weathering the storm. If they could have just taken their double-digit lead into the final period, they might have been all right.

There It Goes… They weren’t all right. Not only did the Cavaliers not take that double-digit lead into the final period, they lost it altogether in less than five minutes’ time. With Cleveland’s offense grinding to a halt and ex-Cavalier Shannon Brown heating up on his way to a 22-point night, Phoenix ripped off a 12-0 run to tie the score at 83-83 with 9:44 remaining in the game. It had taken less than two full quarters for the Cavaliers to fritter away a 26-point lead. And when Brown scooped in a layup with 8:17, the Suns were in the lead for the first time, 87-85.

Might They Anyway… Cleveland could have folded at this point- but didn’t. Sparked by some cold-blooded shots by Dion Waiters (23 points on 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown) the Cavaliers responded with a 13-4 run of their own. Alonzo Gee’s three-point play made it 98-91 Cleveland with 4:36 to play, and once again it was right there. A couple of stops, a couple of scores and the Cavaliers would be home-free.

Nope: Those stops never came. Scoring on six of their next seven possessions, Phoenix finally achieved decisive control with a 14-4 spurt that made it 105-102 Suns with 37.4 seconds remaining. The Suns shot 63.1 percent in the fourth period, a far cry from their brick-fest to start the right.

One Last Gasp: Trailing by four, the Cavaliers bought themselves some hope on Daniel Gibson’s three-pointer with 13.1 seconds remaining. Telfair split a pair at the line to make it 107-105. Kyrie Irving fired up the potential game-winner while being hounded by Dragic; the shot was close but banged off the rim and the final chance to salvage that long-lost 26-point lead had failed.

Not His Night: Friday’s game wasn’t one for Kyrie Irving’s personal scrapbook. Although the stats weren’t terrible- 17 points on 4-of-9 from the field with 8 assists and 4 rebounds- the second-year star struggled. Irving committed seven turnovers (Cleveland finished with 20 miscues as a team, a number crucial to the outcome) and was dominated on the defensive end by Goran Dragic, who scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting while getting into the lane virtually at will.

Just One Bugaboo: Cleveland played well offensively- for the most part. The Cavaliers shot a credible 48.1 percent from the field, hit 22-of-27 from the line and put six men in double figures. Waiters had a big night; Boobie Gibson came off the bench and hit 7-of-9 on the way to 17 points; Gee pounded away for 15, and Varejao had another double-double with 14 points and 10 boards (alas, the jumper wasn’t falling for the Brazilian, who shot an uncharacteristic 5-of-12.) The only real issue was turnovers, and it was a big one. Cleveland helped the Suns back into the game with sloppy play when safety-first basketball might have salted it away early.

Next: Sunday night at 7:00 when Cleveland tips off game five of the road trip against the Thunder. The Cavaliers did win in Oklahoma City last season; still, it isn’t exactly the ideal place to get healthy after a loss like this one.