LeBron: Cavs play with 'half-ass effort sometimes'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the league's pre-eminent flip-the-switch team; long on talent, but often short on focus and energy.

They've already had to dig themselves out of several holes against objectively inferior teams this season, having fallen behind by double digits to the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.

Being without All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving - who's still recovering from a fractured knee cap - certainly hasn't helped, but LeBron James isn't making excuses for himself or his team. After the Milwaukee Bucks snapped their eight-game winning streak Saturday, James said the Cavs have been playing with "half-ass effort sometimes," according to Chris Hayes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The Cavs are 8-2, but seven of their wins came by 10 points or less, and only two of those opponents currently own winning records. Last year's playoffs proved the Cavs can rise to the occasion, but they can also sink to it, and though they top the Eastern Conference standings, their play leaves something to be desired.

It was the second time in as many days that James called out his team's effort. During Cleveland's come-from-behind win over the Knicks on Friday, he was heard demanding from his teammates: "You motherf---ers want to play?"

We'll see if they get the message this time.