The Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needed a win before facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night after losing six games in a row, and the general thinking was that they needed more practice time to let their several new pieces gel with the team.
As Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes, head coach David Blatt did improve team chemistry, but not through practice:
The Cleveland Cavaliers were of the understanding that they were on their way to practice on the campus of UCLA on Wednesday afternoon. [...] But what should have been a six-minute bus ride from their Beverly Hills hotel to the campus turned into 10, then 15, then a 20-minute ride.
"I was like, 'Where are we going?'" Tristan Thompson recalled to Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I was confused."
Head coach David Blatt had something up his sleeve. When the bus finally stopped, it was in front of a bowling establishment in Hollywood. To their shock, they learned practice was never in the plans. It was about getting away from basketball and bonding as a team. [...]
"I think it was a surprise for most guys," Kevin Love said. "It just helped so much. We all needed a break from it all." [...]
"[Bowling] didn't seem to affect too many people's jump-shots. This man [J.R. Smith] was throwing a six-pound ball around," Love revealed. "Those events are fun. We were able to go out there and bowl, eat bad food and enjoy ourselves. It had us loose for the game."
Apparently, it worked. Cleveland beat the Lakers 109-102 to snap the losing streak.
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