Players Cavaliers don’t want to see in playoffs: Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
One playoff opponent that the Cavaliers don’t need to fear anymore is the Brooklyn Nets. The combination of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant always seemed to have the Cavs’ number, and a Cleveland defense that walled off the paint didn’t have as much impact on a team comfortable with drilling mid-rangers again and again.
That version of the Nets has fallen apart, and the current Nets are not a team the Cavs fear any longer. Durant, however, has moved to a Western Conference contender that could realistically be on the other side of the line if the Cavaliers made a run to the NBA Finals.
Durant has a long history of roasting the Cavaliers, even if Cedi Osman is the only remaining Cavalier who remembers how Durant was unstoppable in two consecutive NBA Finals matchups. After years of playoff disappointments, Durant and the Golden State Warriors went 8-1 in two Finals against the Cavaliers and Durant won two Finals MVP trophies.
This version of the Cavs hasn’t done much better against Durant, and they lack a clear defensive matchup (as do most teams). Dean Wade and Evan Mobley would likely tag-team the assignment, but Durant is an unstoppable force in the playoffs. He is not a player the Cavs want to see if they make the NBA Finals.