Why does this team struggle with large leads?

The NBA is a game of runs, with few exceptions this is true for everyone. Elite defensive/rebounding teams like Indiana, SA, & formerly Chicago don't squander 15-20 pt leads very often because it's difficult to score 30+ points in a quarter against them. They don't give you a bunch of open 3 looks, or let you pound the offensive glass to get back into games. But most "good" teams struggle with this like we do. Oklahoma City has in recent seasons had many games where they open up huge lead, then let the other team back in the game. That said, the start of the 4th last night was awful. Bad turnovers, shot selection, and defensive play = blow 20 point lead in 6 minutes. After years of counseling to overcome them, my PTS symptoms from the 2000 WCF/GM7 reared their ugly head again (Did anybody else see Kobe throw a lob to Shaq in their living room last night? Just me?)

 

Coach Stotts and his in-game adjustments. If something isn't working (like Mo Williams for most of the game), then you go to the next player (like Watson).

Stotts lets his players play through some of their struggles and I like that about him for the most part.

 

Our bench. If they're on, we're fine, but if they're struggling like Williams, Wright, and Robinson were last night.... well..... it's just a flash back to last season. We have one of the best starting fives in the league, but we still have a weak bench. We need to get CJ back, and hopefully he makes a difference.

 

I'm excited to get CJ back also. Last we heard was mid December I think. If he looks decent, it will be interesting to see how playing time works out for the back court. Does he cut into Wesley & Mo's minutes significantly? Does Dam get to rest more? His return makes our bench look a lot deeper.

 

Hopefully he cuts into Mo's minutes. A lot.

 

I hope CJ can come out and prove that he can do Mo's job, but much much better. I don't know why Earl doesn't get much burn? I know Mo is a better scorer, but Earl seems to really work at setting up the offense and is especially good at defense.

I have a suspicion that the reason Stotts used Mo so much last night was to prep for today's game.