Examining the biggest night in Cleveland Cavaliers history since 2016
By Simon Hannig
May 15, 2018 is shaping up what is the most important night in Cleveland Cavaliers history since game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have two very important things going on tonight: (1) The NBA Draft Lottery and (2) Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Let’s talk about the NBA Draft Lottery. Why is this important? The Cavs first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (via the Brooklyn Nets) could land either between the eighth and tenth overall pick, or in the top-three. If the Cavs get a top-three pick, it opens the door for them to get one of the premier prospects in the 2018 NBA Draft or a star/superstar in a draft day trade.
If the Cavs pick lands in the top-three, it guarantee’s them one of the following: Luka Doncic, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Mohamed Bamba.
If the pick lands in the top three, it also gives them a huge trade asset during the summer to trade for a star/superstar, which could give them a chance to land Kawhi Leonard in trade from San Antonio.
It is not known whether or not the Spurs will trade Leonard this offseason, but one would think a top three pick in the draft would entice the Spurs into trade discussions with the Cavaliers.
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The Cavs could also try to trade for Portland Trail Blazers guard, Damian Lillard wherever the pick lands. Given LeBron James high praise for Lillard earlier this season, I think he will be one of the main targets in a trade this summer.
This pick, wherever it lands, changes the whole dynamic of the Cavs offseason and what they can do.
Just don’t get your hopes up Cavs fans on the pick landing in the top three, but hey, you never know.
Now, let’s move onto game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. This is the most important playoff game for the Cavaliers so far this postseason. They cannot afford to go down 0-2.
I do not think the Cavs will shoot as poorly as they did Sunday afternoon. The Cavs had 53 uncontested shots in game one, and only made 30.2 percent of them.
Overall, the Cavs shot 16-53 (30.2%) on uncontested field goals.
— Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) May 14, 2018
The Celtics shot 25-39 (64.1%) on contested field goals (though many came at the rim)
The Cavs will also not shoot this badly in game two on three-pointers.
The Cavs shot
— Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) May 14, 2018
0-1 on Tightly Guarded 3s
1-8 on Open 3s
3-16 on Wide Open 3s
Running the keep missing shots play over and over seems like a bad idea
It will also be interesting to see what lineup changes Cavs head coach Ty Lue makes, and it seems he may have decided one lineup change already.
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Buckle up Cavs fans, get ready for a rollercoaster of a night and enjoy the ride!