The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially clinched their place as the fourth seed in the NBA Eastern Conference and are gearing up to play the New York Knicks in round one. On the back of four straight 40-point games by Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland has earned 50 wins this season and showcased how special this roster is.
If the Cavs succeed in the first round, they will likely face the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks next. Although the coming postseason matchups are haunting, there are a handful of reasons to trust in Cleveland’s potential. If Cleveland plays right, the Cavaliers may bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to the Buckeye State once again. Here’s three reasons to be confident in this group heading into the playoffs, beginning with defense.
Reason No. 1: Defense wins rings
There cannot be enough said this season about the exponential growth of the Cavaliers defense thus far. The Cavs defense should not be taken for granted. At the start of this rebuild, their defense was nearly nonexistent. Now, with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, this team can withstand anything.
Keeping their defensive intensity going forward will garner the Cavaliers a tremendous opportunity to stagger any opposing offense game after game.
Looking specifically at New York, Isaac Okoro proved himself capable of withstanding the barrage of scoring Jalen Brunson is liable to produce each night. Okoro guarded Brunson for a total of roughly 10.5 minutes over three games. In that time, Brunson scored nine points on 50 percent shooting from the field, but in 50.9 partial possessions per NBA.com. It is likely Okoro will face up against Jalen Brunson more often once the series begins, provided Okoro is able to go.
Okoro has been dealing with knee soreness, and it’s not a certainty if he’ll be ready for then, although the team is reportedly hoping he can potentially play some in the regular season finale versus the Charlotte Hornets. We’ll have to see, but either way, they’ll have to change things up periodically as it pertains to Brunson; having Okoro would be key, though.
The already stupendous defense of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley serves as a steady contributor to Cleveland’s ongoing success, regardless. As Caris LeVert continues to lock down the perimeter, the defensive cohesion between frontcourt and backcourt defenders gives versatility for Cleveland to exploit any weaknesses in their opponent. The Cavaliers will be well prepared for their historic first playoff push of this century without LeBron James.