One reason that the NBA playoffs feel so different from the regular season is the lack of team-specific game-planning. A team can’t implement a game plan for an opponent when they have another opponent a day or two before facing them, and it’s hard to make adjustments after a game when so many things change before you face them again.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a schedule quirk awaiting them that will make things feel a little bit more like the playoffs. Two of their next three games are against the Boston Celtics, and then they will play the Miami Heat twice in a row in Miami before flying up to Charlotte to face the Hornets twice in a row at the Spectrum Center.
None of the games are back-to-backs, so the Cavs can dig in and focus on crafting a strategy for that specific team. After each game, they can then implement adjustments for the following contest, just as they will in a playoff series. This rhythm will be important practice for a team without much playoff experience.
The downside to these two-game sets is that if a player is injured they miss two of the three or four matchups with a certain team in a season. Thankfully for the Cavs they go into this stretch fully healthy. The next two weeks will be a key stretch for this squad, both for gaining wins but also gaining some experience in strategy.
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The Cavaliers find themselves with an open 15th roster spot once again. They could leave it open, sign a player to a 10-day contract or convert one of their two-way players to a full contract. The final option is to use the spot for a veteran free agent who resembles something they already have in case of injury; an understudy, if you will. We break down three options on the website this morning.
The month of February was good for the Cavs. They went 8-3, with a mini three-game losing streak bracketing the All-Star Break. Their 10.3 net rating in February was second-best in the league, behind only the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks.
The tricky thing is that the rest of the East’s best also had a great month. The Bucks went 10-0, the New York Knicks 9-2, the Boston Celtics 8-3 and the Philadelphia 76ers 7-4. The Cavs have to keep winning at a high level to keep pace in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
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The Milwaukee Bucks took down the Brooklyn Nets 118-104, further cementing the odds that the New York Knicks are in the fifth spot come the playoffs. Two other East matchups took place as well between teams jockeying for the Play-In Tournament, with the Toronto Raptors taking down the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards beating the Atlanta Hawks. 1.5 games now separate 8-10 in the East.
The Western Conference continued to cannibalize itself, too. The teams at the top won again — the Denver Nuggets, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings all won — while the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers all lost. The Golden State Warriors won their third-straight game and are now in fifth place in the West…at just 32-30. Expect more tumult to follow out West.
Coming up: The Cavaliers are in Boston to take on the Celtics tonight at 7:30 pm.