Upcoming road trip presents scenarios the Cavaliers can take advantage of

Following their showdown with Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and the Phoenix Suns at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to embark on their second five-game Western Conference road trip of the season. This road trip presents scenarios that the Cavaliers can take advantage of.

It won’t be easy, but the Cavaliers can benefit from this upcoming road trip.

In their first five-game road trip, the Cavaliers started in Detroit and then went out to California. The Cavs went 2-3 on that road trip as they defeated their Central Division foe Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers, but fell at the hands of the LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The three losses against the Clippers, Kings, and Warriors were by a combined 14 points (119-117 against LA, 127-120 against Sacramento, and 106-101 against Golden State).

The Cavs head into their daunting five-game road trip following a quick two-game homestand at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in which they defeated their Central Division rival Chicago Bulls 145-134 in OT (a game headlined by Donovan Mitchell’s mind-blowing 71 point performance) and defeated the Suns 90-88 in a really strange game where both teams’ field goal percentages were a tick under 40% and the Cavs led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.

During this impending road trip, the Cavaliers will be matching up with Western Conference teams who are all in the postseason conversation. The trip begins in Denver against All-Star guard Jamal Murray, reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, and the Nuggets. At 25-13, the Nuggets are tied for the No.1 seed in the Western Conference standings with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Nuggets play the Cavaliers on the second night of a home back-to-back after facing the Clippers in a potential Western Conference Finals preview on national television Thursday night. Cleveland could use Denver’s fatigue to their advantage and put the Nuggets on their heels early. However, the Nuggets dismantled the Clippers 122-91 on Thursday night. Furthermore, Donovan Mitchell is out Friday due to rest and Darius Garland is still dealing with his thumb injury. The Cavaliers might not have the firepower to take advantage of a Nuggets team riding the emotion of their big victory on Thursday.

The next stop of the road trip will take the Cavs out to the desert for a rematch with the Suns. The Cavaliers and Suns are going to be seeing each other for the second time in five days. The Cavs won’t have to deal with superstar guard Devin Booker who is out still due to a groin injury, which makes the task a bit easier. Phoenix still has Hall of Fame guard Chris Paul and a talented center in Deandre Ayton. The Suns are 20-19 thus far, which puts them in eighth place in the West.

The third stop on the trip will have some extra emotion attached to it as Donovan Mitchell makes his highly anticipated return to Salt Lake City to face his former team, the Utah Jazz. Given the success Mitchell had while wearing a Jazz uniform, Jazz fans eagerly anticipate his return to Vivint Arena.

Even though Salt Lake City is 1,725 miles from Cleveland, there might be a lot of Cavs fans in attendance for this game. There should be a lot of fans wearing Mitchell’s No.45 jersey. Mitchell led the Jazz to the No.1 seed in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. In the post-Jerry Sloan era, he kept them relevant. As such, he should get a standing ovation during player introductions and receive a video tribute.

Both teams have reaped the benefits of the trade that sent Mitchell to the Cavs. Cleveland is fourth in the Eastern Conference at 25-14 and they’re two games behind the top-seeded Boston Celtics for the No.1 seed. Meanwhile, the Jazz were one of the early surprises in the NBA as they jumped out to a fast start which put them at the top of the West. They’ve since come back down to earth and are 20-21 on the season, but are still exceeding expectations. They’re 10th in the conference which puts them in position for the Play-In Tournament.

Following a three-game road trip in Houston, Chicago, and Memphis, the Jazz will be returning to Salt Lake City when the Cavaliers arrive. Although it’s only three games, the first home game following a road trip is always challenging.

The Cavaliers head to the Pacific Northwest to play the Portland Trail Blazers on the fourth game of the trip. While in the Pacific Northwest, the Cavs should be playing two games, but the Seattle SuperSonics aren’t around. The Cavaliers beat the Blazers 114-96 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland the day before Thanksgiving. Last season, the Cavaliers finally ended their losing streak at the Moda Center, but before then, the Cavs’ last win in Portland was on Jan. 16, 2013 (93-88). So, the Cavs should have confidence going into that building. The Cavs will be seeking to sweep the Blazers for the second consecutive season.

Even though Portland won’t be facing the Cavaliers in their first home game following a road trip, the Blazers will be playing the Cavs after hosting the Orlando Magic. The Magic are trying to build their core, which means they’re going to play hard every game. Orlando also has a lot of length on their team which could bother Portland. As such, the Blazers might not have a full tank of energy despite having a day off in between games.

D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns, Rudy Gobert, and the Minnesota Timberwolves make up the last stop on the Cavs trip in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Minneapolis. The T-Wolves will be playing the Cavaliers on the second night of a home back-to-back after hosting the Suns much like when the Cavs face the Nuggets. This could play out in a similar fashion, but this time it would be the Cavs taking advantage of the T-Wolves’ fatigue.

Minnesota was able to take advantage of the Cavaliers’ fatigue when the two teams met on Nov. 13 in Cleveland. The Cavs were playing their first home game following their Detroit-California trip, and they had to do it without Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. Darius Garland scored 51 points, but it wasn’t enough as the T-Wolves came out with the 129-124 victory.

In this Western Conference road trip, the Cavaliers will be facing teams who are all in the postseason conversation. That amplifies the importance of coming out of this road trip with a winning record, especially because of the schedule following the road trip. Cleveland has a tough road vs. New Orleans, at Memphis, vs. Golden State, and vs. Milwaukee (Golden State and Milwaukee is a home back-to-back).

This road trip presents scenarios that the Cavaliers can take advantage of. The question is, will Cleveland be able to seize the opportunities that are in front of them and use the advantages that are being presented.