3 reasons the Cavs could still miss the NBA playoffs

3 reasons the Cavs could still miss the NBA playoffs: Compressed standings

In the Western Conference, 6.5 games separate top-seeded Phoenix from the Golden State Warriors in second place. The Memphis Grizzlies are another 1.5 games back. The Minnesota Timberwolves, below the play-in cut-off in seventh, are 17.5 games back and 2.5 games clear of sixth. The Portland Trail Blazers in 10th would need to close an 8.5 game gap just to get to 6th, and are a whopping 23.5 games back of the Suns.

In the East it’s an entirely different story. The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are tied for first, and are only 2.5 games above Cleveland and Philadelphia, tied for third, and the Bucks are effectively tied with them. That’s five teams separated by just 2.5 games.

It continues from there. The Boston Celtics are two games back of the Cavs in sixth, but are on fire and could close the gap in just a couple of games. The Toronto Raptors in seventh are just 2.5 games back of Cleveland, and the Brooklyn Nets are 4.5. Even the Atlanta Hawks, in 10th, and only 9.5 games back of first place. That’s a gap too large to make up, but the top 10 teams in the East are tightly compressed, leading to a dizzying array of potential seeding by the end of the year.

The upside is that the Cavs could get hot for a stretch and seize the top overall seed. The downside is that they drop a few extra games and suddenly they are below the cut line for the play-in game. It’s inexplicable for the Utah Jazz, in fourth in the West, to fall to seventh or below; just because of how few games separate the Cavs from seventh, that outcome is very possible even if the Cavs finish well.