After the Cavaliers lost to Charlotte the night after beating Miami, Cleveland finds itself three wins short of their next opponent, the Washington Wizards, with only eight more games to go before the curtain closes on Cleveland basketball, 2010-11.
There are really only two teams that the Cavs have any reasonable chance of catching, and of avoiding a first-to-worst "achievement" in the NBA record books. It's never been done, folks, not even once. But unless the Cavaliers can catch either Washington or the Minnesota Timberwolves (who check in with 17 wins and seven games left), that dubious record will belong solely to Cleveland.
Tonight the Cavs travel to Washington to face the Wizards, who have only two wins in their last ten games -- one fewer than does Cleveland. If the effort is there, as it was against the Heat and even in the loss in Charlotte, then this is a winnable game. Looking ahead, the Cavaliers travel to New York on Sunday, and Carmelo Anthony has been on fire and you just know the Knicks want revenge on Cleveland for having already beaten them thrice this year.
So how about getting a win tonight Cavs? It would be helpful. And as the days dwindle to a precious few, it really might be your last chance to avoid an embarrassing piece of history.