It was a tale of two halves…
The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly kicked the 2026-27 season off with a bang, sending a first-half message straight to the King with a 29-point lead.
Then the second half happened.
Everything the Cavs did right in the first went out the window. They had begun the game forcing 15 turnovers. Now they were the ones being stripped and taken the other way. Their presence in the paint dissipated as the Sixers took full control.
A few factors spun this the wrong way for Cleveland.
Those 15 turnovers from Philly in the first half amounted to nothing. The Sixers only turned it over once in the second half — and finished with fewer turnovers than the Cavaliers. Philly’s speed in transition was enough to narrow the gap almost immediately.
On offense, the Cavs faced a shrunk floor as Joel Embiid was moved into the paint to play free safety. He no longer worried about Evan Mobley or Peyton Watson from downtown. Those are shots the Sixers were willing to concede. In effect, the paint was now swarmed with length and athleticism to make life difficult for the Cavs.
It’s hard to feed the bigs when the paint is packed. Cleveland’s frontcourt combined for 29 points in the first half. They only scored 3 points in the second. That’s a story we’ve heard too many times with this team.
Bad turned to worse, and the Cavs found themselves on the wrong end of a massive comeback.
I’ll leave you with one positive.
Mario Hezonja had a triumphant return to the NBA despite the final score. He showed his growth by attacking a mismatch in the post before taking a steal and going coast-to-coast for a slam. Hezonja also held up defensively and steadied the ship momentarily with his post-scoring.
The Cavs can at least find solace in knowing they have a legit talent in Hezonja.