CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers cannot surrender a gargantuan lead if they never have one.
The Cavs’ largest advantage in a 127-125 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Oct. 26, was merely five points, temporarily placing Cleveland’s frequently discussed Achilles’ heel on the backburner. And in a reversal of roles, the Cavs (2-1) ascended from a 15-point hole to give the Timberwolves (3-1) their first loss this season.
Yet, the Cavs still found a relevant message in a lesson coach Kenny Atkinson attempted to emphasize earlier in the day by using a soccer analogy.
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Cleveland’s habit of blowing sizable leads has been at the forefront of recent discussions between Atkinson and his players.
As they prepared for the Timberwolves, Atkinson and his assistant coaches showed Cavs players footage of Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semifinals to put a new spin on the topic. On July 15, Argentina trailed 1-0 going into the 85th minute before rallying for a victory.
“When [England] got the lead, they just kind of went back, and Argentina, I think, had 88% of the possession in the second half,” Atkinson said. “[Our] message to the guys: You have to keep attacking. Your natural inclination is to hold back, slow down.”
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In Cleveland’s first two games this season, the Cavs blew a 29-point lead in a 114-106 loss Oct. 22 at the Philadelphia 76ers and then nearly squandered a 22-point advantage during a 125-121 win Oct. 24 over the Brooklyn Nets. With 8.1 seconds left, the Nets cut their deficit to two points before the Cavs escaped with a victory in their home opener at Rocket Arena.
“We haven't kept our pace up in the second half,” Atkinson said. “That's kind of the analysis, right? Playing with a lead, there's a human [element]. I don't know what it is — intuition. We all do it, right? You have a big lead, you're in a pickup game and you just kind of like slow down. We’ve become passive offensively. Our pace goes down.”
Too much fatigue. Insufficient focus and aggression.
The recurring themes when the Cavs let lopsided leads melt away are well known.
Also among them is mental toughness, or lack thereof.
Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said “mental awareness” is a vital aspect to finishing strong.
“Sometimes you play to protect a lead,” Mitchell said. “The Argentina game that [Atkinson] showed, one of the players said that we were playing not to lose as opposed to playing to win. It happens across all sports.
“There is a psychological piece to it, and it's, like, all right, what are we going to do in these two-minute spurts? … If we turn it over, are we not doing that again? Are we not compounding mistakes? That's truly what it is. In Philly, it was like we just kept turning the ball over. They kept getting out in transition. … Brooklyn, we gave up three 3s in a row.”
This iteration of the Cavs experienced its most infamous collapse in Game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks. On May 19, the Cavs led by 22 points in the fourth quarter but fell 115-104 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. The Cavs went on to be swept 4-0 by the Knicks.
“Obviously, the timing hasn't been great,” Atkinson said of the way the Cavs were bounced from the playoffs this past spring and how they have let leads dwindle or vanish early this season. “But I would just say, in general, especially with all the variance, the way the NBA is played today, it's something we had to address and keep talking about it.”
Committing turnovers and allowing opponents to dominate the offensive glass have repeatedly kept the Cavs from closing out games with authority.
Atkinson said Cavs players “get it” when those deficiencies and others are addressed in meetings.
Mitchell said when he first entered the NBA in 2017 as a Utah Jazz rookie, a 20-point difference in a game would be considered a sealed outcome. Now, with increased pace and 3-point shooting, a 20-point lead is far from safe.
The Cavs know all too well.
“You’ve got to play the whole entire game out,” Cavs forward Evan Mobley said. “Whether you're up or down, you’ve got to always be trying to score, always be in an aggressive mindset, never really letting off the gas because when you do, that's when things happen and you lose.”
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers look to soccer as they try to kick the habit of blowing big leads