At one point this season the Cleveland Cavaliers looked destined for a top-4 seed, and at the very least were nearly a lock to make the top-6 in the Eastern Conference playoff field. Instead, to make the NBA Playoffs at all the Cavs will now need to win at least one play-in game.
With two games to go in the season the Cavs are locked into the play-in tournament. They could finish anywhere from 7th to 10th in the East and will jockey with the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets over the next three days to sort it all out. No game is bigger for the Cavs than their showdown tonight with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavs will take on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night in a game that will decide the Cavs’ play-in seed and likely whether or not they make the playoffs
I outlined yesterday the various scenarios that could lead to the Cavs falling anywhere from seven to ten, and they begin with tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. Lose tonight and the seventh seed is all-but-gone, and even eighth becomes difficult. Win, and the Nets are now on the ropes, likely needing to win twice to even make the playoffs.
This will be the fourth meeting this season for the Cavs and Nets. The first two games took place early in the season with the Cavs severely short-handed, and the Nets won both. In their third meeting, when Kevin Durant was out due to injury, the Cavs took down Kyrie Irving and James Harden in a game that helped widen the fissure forming between Harden and the organization.
Whoever wins tonight will secure the tiebreaker, which likely only matters if the Nets win. If the Cavs win they will be two games up with one to go. That being said a victory will absolutely bring confidence for the Cavs that they can win against the Nets if they meet in the play-in, a game that would then be played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Evan Mobley could be back tonight, which would be a huge boon to a defense ranked outside the Top-30 in the league since the All-Star Break. The All-Star phenom can provide rim protection like this team has been without for weeks. Jarrett Allen won’t play tonight, but the team is hopeful he can suit up by the play-in tournament next week.
Winning tonight is crucial if the Cavs want to make it into the playoffs themselves. Finishing seventh means playing a home game against the eighth-seed to get in; even if they lose they get a second home game against the winner of the 9-10 contest. Fall to eighth and it’s a road game at first followed by a home game. Fall further, and it’s back-to-back must-win games just to survive.
While teams can absolutely win out of the bottom bracket, it is much more difficult, and the Cavs aren’t exactly playing their best basketball right now with which to be confident of a pair of play-in victories. They also can’t depend on the Milwaukee Bucks resting players on Sunday, as they may still be fighting to lock down a specific seed.
Not since LeBron James was still on the Cavs have they played a game with such stakes; it seems clear this is the most important game the Cavs have played in years. Now, win or lose, that title will be taken again in just a few days when the play-in tournament kicks off, but it is no less true right now. This franchise wants their young stars to get some important postseason seasoning, and that best happens in a full seven-game series. Look at Memphis as a team that parlayed play-in triumph into experience that helped launch them forward this year.
If the Cavs want to make the playoffs, they need to win tonight against the Brooklyn Nets. Slowing Durant and Irving down isn’t easy, but if they can score enough to keep pace a victory would mean a much more likely path into the playoff field.