Skyfall in Cleveland

Well. At least it's not the river that's on fire in Cleveland this time.

Instead, it's entire headsful of hair on fire, as the Cavaliers Cav-ed in again last night, letting a 22-point lead slide away in Indianapolis in a two-point loss to the Pacers. It was the Cavs' third straight loss -- two of them by 25 or more points -- and eighth in 11 games. They're now 26-16, and people all around the NBA are starting to revive one of their favorite memes, What's Wrong With The (Team Name Here).

And the Pacers?

The Pacers are only 22-20. And yet everyone is ecstatic, loves the way they play, marvels at how the team's chemistry has completely flipped now that Paul George is in Oklahoma City and Victor Oladipo, who came over in the trade, has emerged as a sort of PG 2.0.

All of which goes to show you, everything's perspective. The sky is falling in Cleveland, and the sky's the limit in Indy. That the sky, as noted, is still a January sky doesn't seem to occur to anyone.

It should, of course. One of the consistently amusing aspects of the NBA season is how people consistently seem to forget that the NBA season lasts longer than the Hundred Years War. And so every slump by a team like the Cavaliers becomes hilariously over-magnified when measured against the broader context.

OMG, the Cavs have lost eight of 11! The wheels are coming off! It's the end of an era!

Um ... no.

No, it's just a bad patch in January, three months before any of this matters.  Will the Cavs continue to slide? Maybe. Two months from now, will we be talking about them winning 10 games in a row and suddenly being the hottest team in the league as the playoffs loom?

Just as maybe.

Look. Eight losses in 11 games is a sign that things aren't lovely in Cleveland, but it's also an incredibly small window through which to draw larger conclusions. It's 11 games out of 82, remember. It's one five-game road trip out of 82 games. And those 82 games are spread over an absurd six or so months.

And so: Perspective, people. Perspective.

And here's a fire extinguisher to use on your hair.