People can attempt to excuse this Cavs team for the poor luck of missing open shots and the Pistons being red-hot. It ain't that and it hasn't been for weeks now. Since the Hawks kicked the shit out of them they have been a lazy-ass team that has developed bad habits on both sides of the ball. Moreover, LeBron is running is own little insurgency against his coach to the detriment of the team. This team is no contender. Contenders aren't lazy and have pride. It's a fancy sixth seed with lots of talent and no heart.
Some will say "oh, it's early, no need to panic, LeBron will step up as he always does." LeBron might, but none of the others have experience running up to the playoffs. They may not be able to snap out of their bad habits; they don't know how. LeBron is supposed to elevate this team and right now he isn't doing a good job.
It might take a first-round exit for this team to wake-up.