
Over halfway through the 2021-22 NBA season the Cleveland Cavaliers are standing at 27-18, just 2.5 games behind the top-seeded Chicago Bulls. Expected to be a lottery team, the Cavs have blown away all expectations and have positioned themselves for a playoff berth despite being riddled by injuries and Covid protocols.
This raises the question of how effective this Cleveland team will be once they reach the playoffs.
Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are the leaders of the team, and both being under the age of 24, they could fall apart in the playoffs to a more experienced team but could also step up to the challenge and make the Cavs a legit contender.
Making the assumption that no changes happen to the roster there are several teams that could lose a seven-game series against Cleveland. A few of them have a real possibility of playing them in the early rounds of the postseason. Which four teams should fear the Cavaliers in the postseason?
The Boston Celtics playstyle matches up horribly against the Cavaliers.
If the Cavs and Celtics both go on a run in the second half of the season, they could end up occupying the fourth and fifth seeds in the East. This would cause them to face each other in the first round.
This matchup would not be favorable for the Celtics despite having arguably the two best players in the matchup in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The way Boston plays does not translate well for the playoffs.
Boston plays an iso-heavy offense leading them to become predictable down the stretch, making opposing teams’ defense much more effective. Compare this to Cleveland, who plays a team-oriented offense, ranking eighth in assists per game.
The Cavaliers would excel against Boston, taking advantage of weak defensive rotations and poor ball movement. They could run a similar style of play as Miami did in the bubble against the Celtics in the 2020 playoffs.