As the calendar year of 2022 comes to a close, the Cleveland Cavaliers sit at 17-10, which is good for third place in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers sit in third place currently, thanks in large part to the astounding play of Donovan Mitchell.
The sixth-year guard is averaging 29 points per game while connecting on 42 percent from beyond the arc. Mitchell is also dishing out nearly five assists and is averaging 1.5 steals per game.
And who could forget the Cavaliers superb frontcourt tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who anchor Cleveland’s defense, which ranks first in efficiency with a 106.7 rating.
As for their schedule, Cleveland has 10 games remaining in December. They head down to Texas for a quick two-game road trip.
So how will the Cavs do record-wise in the rest of the calendar year 2022?
First up is San Antonio, which sits in 14th place in the Western Conference. The Spurs currently are 8-18 and lost 16 of 17 games between Nov. 2 and Dec. 4, but they come into this game on a two-game winning streak.
While the Spurs are clearly building for the future, and have been banged up, they are led by Keldon Johnson (20.9 ppg) and Devin Vassell (20.4 ppg). Cleveland has had their struggles on the road, but this is an excellent opportunity for the Wine and Gold to correct its road woes. I see them winning this game, but it could be close.
Cleveland then gets a day of rest before taking on the Dallas Mavericks. The obvious concern for Cleveland will be trying to contain Luka Doncic, who currently leads the NBA in scoring at nearly 33 points per game.
Dallas is more than a one-man show, though, as Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie can also also fill it up. Dallas is 7th in the NBA in offensive efficiency but just 20th in defensive efficiency.
If the Cavaliers can limit the damage from Luka and not let any of the role players get going. Given the Cavaliers road struggles, I think they will play the Mavericks close. However, I’ll call for Cleveland to drop this game.
Cleveland will then return home for a six-game homestand. As detailed all season, Cleveland plays well in the friendly confines of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland is currently tied with Golden State with the best home record in the NBA (12-2) this season.
First up on the homestand is the Indiana Pacers, who have a pleasant surprise this season. The Pacers have four players averaging at least 17 points per game, led by guard Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana also is 10th in the NBA in three-point shooting, but their defense struggles, entering the week at No. 22 in efficiency.
As long as Cleveland has their starting lineup healthy for this game, they will get past Indiana, but they must contain Indiana’s young core.
Cleveland has a quick turnaround, as their next game is the following night at home against Dallas. In this scenario, Cleveland will be eager to get a win over Dallas after losing to them earlier in the week. Getting the Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back is tough, but propelled by the home crowd, I’ll say they get the win.
After a day off, Cleveland welcomes the Utah Jazz into town, where Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen will return. After getting out to a 10-3 start, Utah has come back to earth, sitting at 15-14 as of the posting of this article.
Cleveland’s tandem of Allen and Mobley will make life challenging for Markkanen, and I see the Cavaliers getting the win here to go to 4-1.
Things get a bit tougher for the Cavaliers as they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to town. In their two earlier meetings, Cleveland played Milwaukee tough for the first half, but both times crumbled in the second half, most recently on Nov. 25.
Cleveland has shown they can hang with Milwaukee, and after two second-half collapses I think the Cavaliers will be more mentally prepared for playing a full 48 minutes against a tough Bucks squad. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I’ll call for the Cavaliers to top the Bucks.
Next up, is Toronto at home. Like the Bucks, Cleveland has already dropped two games to Toronto on the road. Last time north of the boarder the Cavaliers had arguably their worst shooting night of the season (38%).
This time at home, Cleveland will have the energy of the hometown fans on their side and they’ll get their revenge on the Raptors as Toronto enters play on Dec. 12 with just a 3-10 road record.
Now, closing out the homestand against the Nets, who are playing better basketball of late. Brooklyn entered play on Dec. 12 winners of seven out of eight games, and climbed to fourth in the East.
If Cleveland wants to beat the Nets, they’ll have to slow down the duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers will be up to the task, but I don’t think they will finish the homestand 6-0, so I’ll call for the Nets to top Cleveland in what should be an entertaining game.
To close out the 2022 portion of the schedule, Cleveland goes on the road to face Central Division foes Indiana, and Chicago. I think the Cavaliers will split those games, and finish out the final 10 games of 2022 with a 7-3 record.
Now, this is obviously written as if the Cavaliers will maintain their health and not lose any of their top guys for an extended period of time. Mitchell, for context, is questionable on Monday due to lower leg soreness.
All things considered, though, having a major homestand should be beneficial for Cleveland, and the biggest test will be hosting some top-tier teams along with trying to find some success on the road.
Let’s hear it from you, how do you think the Cavaliers will close out 2022?