Should the Cavaliers prefer to face the Bucks or Celtics in second round?

Last weekend, the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the playoffs. Cleveland dispatched the Houston Rockets, and secured their 48th win of the 2022-23 campaign in the process.

For the Cavaliers, they ensured a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and this was the first time the Wine and Gold will have reached the playoffs without LeBron James since 1997-98. It’s been a long time coming, but after a resurgent, near-playoff season in 2021-22, Cleveland will be back in the league’s second season, per se, and it’s going to be fun.

By the looks of it, it appears the Cavaliers could very well face off against the New York Knicks in the first round. The Cavs might be locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Knicks could very well end up as the fifth seed.

New York could be a tough matchup for Cleveland. Similarly to the Cavaliers, New York has a frontcourt that’s crucial for their success, and both teams have their share of big-time guard contributors. The Knicks have taken two of three outings from the Cavaliers thus far this season, and on Friday night, the clubs will face off for the last time in the regular season in a game where it’d be big for the Cavaliers to help their chances of locking up homecourt.

Isaac Okoro and likely Jarrett Allen will not be in action on Friday, but now, unfortunately for the Knicks, Julius Randle’s ankle sprain could have a significant effect on their playoff aspirations. Randle suffered the injury earlier in the week, and as of yesterday, he’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, per the Knicks.

Either way, for the Cavaliers, while the Knicks did take two of three this season thus far from them, I do still believe Cleveland’s defense can find a way to get the job done in a possible series with New York, and with how Evan Mobley is playing on both ends, they could find a way to navigate through that series. The leadership of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio could aid the overall group, too, and let’s not discount the recent emergence of Caris LeVert.

Looking past that, in the event the top seeds end up being the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, with Cleveland either the third or fourth seed, they’d both be difficult clubs to have to get through, clearly.

So, between the Bucks and Celtics, which team should the Cavaliers prefer to face in the second round?

Both Milwaukee and Boston would be formidable foes, and they’re the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the East, and have the best and second-best records in the league this season, respectively. The Celtics have led the league in net rating this season, and the Bucks are tied for fifth in that metric.

Both have multiple stars, in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, provided Middleton is healthy for the Bucks, and for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are terrific. Paired with the stars, though, both of these clubs are among the deepest groups in the league, as they have key players with a bunch of postseason experience, and they each have lineup versatility.

That said, for the Cavaliers, personally, Boston would seem to be a matchup they’d prefer to Milwaukee in the second round, provided Cleveland eventually gets by New York.

It’s debatable, but the Cavs should prefer facing the Celtics as opposed to the Bucks in the second round.

Boston is a very talented club in their own right, as the C’s have two of the game’s best wings in Tatum and Brown, who are both very versatile on defense as well, and Marcus Smart fits that mold on defense, too.

Plus, Smart is a quality decision-maker offensively as a playmaker and driver, and Al Horford still can be a two-way difference-maker, and Robert Williams III and Grant Williams are impact defensive bigs. Horford and both of those Williams’ are good rebounders, too, which is something to keep in mind.

In terms of others to worry about, Malcolm Brogdon is a player that has given the Cavaliers issues in the matchups between these clubs as well, and even the likes of Sam Hauser is a player that can give Boston a jolt in some bench lineups.

However, when examining a possible Bucks series, regarding the Cavs getting by the Knicks, or maybe the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, Cleveland would have their work cut out for them against the likes of Giannis, to say the least.

Additionally, Jrue Holiday is a tall order to match up with on defense, and a stretch big in Robin Lopez is a player who can light it up playing off those two creators. And not to mention, Khris Middleton (provided he’d be healthy) is one of the game’s most efficient scorers on the perimeter.

Others in Milwaukee’s supporting cast in Joe Ingles, Pat Connaughton, Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen all have to be accounted for off-ball, too, along with trade deadine add Jae Crowder. Plus, the Bucks landing Goran Dragic for the playoff push is another guy who can playmake and create for himself for stretches.

With the Bucks’ combination of size, wing depth and defensive wings, shot creation, shooting, and rim protection, with Lopez and Antetokounmpo, they’d be very tough to compete with. The ball pressure on the perimeter from Holiday in a playoff setting could make things more difficult for Darius Garland, who has not played in the playoffs yet, also.

It’s not as Tatum, Brown and the Celtics wouldn’t be a formidable foe, to reiterate, and they went to the NBA Finals last year, and have their share of postseason experience, like plenty on the Bucks. Cleveland took three games from Boston in the regular season, although with all three coming in overtime, and the last one did not feature Tatum.

But, even with Cleveland having split the season series with Milwaukee in the regular season, one of those games did not have Antetokounmpo, and Middleton wasn’t involved in any of them. If Middleton can remain healthy in the playoffs, that’d make the 2021 NBA champs in Milwaukee so hard to beat in a seven-game series, especially.

If the Cavaliers were to have to face the Bucks, even if they’d have to face the C’s first, I’d rather it not have to be in Round Two.