King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: Who should the Cavs want to face in the first round?

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 1: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers talk during the game on March 1, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 1: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers talk during the game on March 1, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Eastern Conference is better than many give it credit for, and there could be an array of teams that challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, the number of teams that challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers and the number of teams that will actually be able to take them down in a seven-game series are much different.

The Cavs only real threat in the East is the Toronto Raptors but there are at least five teams that should be able to win at least one if not two games in a seven-game series against Cleveland.

After the Raptors and Boston Celtics, the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit at No. 3 but teams like the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are in the mix. All three of these teams are just four games apart on the Eastern Conference table.

The current standings have the team’s ranked in the following order: Raptors, Celtics, Cavs, Wizards, Pacers, 76ers, Heat and the Bucks. So, if the season ended today, it’d be the Cavaliers against the Bucks.

Is that the matchup we really want in the first round though? The Bucks, who are firmly above the ninth-place Detroit Pistons, are tied for seventh with the Heat.

That said, who should the Cavs want to play first round?

More from King James Gospel

In my opinion, it’s the Miami Heat. The Heat will arguably be the worst team in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but with a bit of luck, they could easily make their way up one spot. The Cavs are 2-0 against the Heat this season, holding them to just 93 points per game, an impressive feat for such a lackluster defensive team.

The Miami Heat are also without a true All-Star caliber player. While Goran Dragic did make an All-Star team, albeit as an injury replacement, his ability to take over a game and delivery in crunch time is certainly lacking. Dragic averages just 4 points per game in the fourth quarter, under one-fourth of his 17.4 per game average.

To add to their lack of star power, the Heat are not a very good offensive team in general. They score the third-fewest points in the NBA and average just a mere 101.9 points per game, only beating out the Kings and Grizzlies, two of the Western Conference’s worst teams.

As for why they’d matchup poorly against Cleveland, it’s quite simple really.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the league’s worst defenses and even after their retooled roster gets confident in their defensive sets, they might still be lacking on that side of the ball. However, they are one of the NBA’s best offensive teams, ranking No. 5 in points per game.

They should able to “flip the switch” and take their talents to a new level come playoff time. While that flip might not make them the Finals favorite, it should propel them to sweep a team like the Heat.

With an enhanced intensity defensively and LeBron James on offense, this team would cruise past a team like Miami.

The Cavs would have an intriguing matchup against any other Eastern Conference team in the first round. The Bucks and 76ers both have long, defensive-minded teams while the Pacers have Victor Oladipo and a great surrounding cast.

Must Read: 3 reasons Larry Nance Jr. is better than Tristan Thompson

If you’re Cleveland, Miami has to be the team you want to draw in the first round. However, if that isn’t the case, the other contenders who the Cavs should hope to face are the Wizards, Pacers, Bucks and 76ers, in that order.