The Cavaliers and the Atlantic Division have a disdain for each other

Over the last two seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made attempts to climb up the ladder to prove that they’re at least playoff contenders. In 2022, the Cavs made it to the Play-In Tournament where they fell to the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks. In 2023, the Cavs jumped all the way up to the No. 4 seed, where they fell to the No. 5 seed New York Knicks in five games in Round 1 of the playoffs.

In Cleveland’s attempts to put themselves in the championship contender discussion, in the regular season or the playoffs, the Atlantic Division has put up the stop sign. As such, the Cavs and the Atlantic Division have developed a disdain for each other.

The Cavs and the Atlantic Division definitely dislike each other, and the Atlantic always seems to get in the way of the Wine and Gold.

The Atlantic Division is made up of the Nets, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and the Knicks. Any time the Cavaliers have reached the playoffs and made a run, it seems like they’re running into a team from the Atlantic Division. When the Cavs made their four-year run to the NBA Finals (2015-2018), they had to go through either the Celtics or Raptors, or sometimes both. The most notable series against the Atlantic came in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals when the Cavs defeated the Raptors in six games en route to their first NBA championship in franchise history.

In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, so 3-1 is forever going to be engraved in Cleveland lore. This season, the Cavs lost the season series against the Raptors 3-1, including a 108-105 Raptors win north of the border on opening night where Darius Garland suffered an eye injury. The only game the Cavs won against the Raptors this season was the final regular season meeting in late February, 118-93.

The Cavaliers and Raptors have fairly recent playoff history, all of which favors Cleveland. They met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2017 and 2018, where the Cavs swept the Raptors in both instances. Granted, the reason the Cavaliers had so much success against the Raptors in the postseason is because the Cavs had LeBron James, and the Raptors didn’t. Last season, Toronto defeated Cleveland in a crucial regular season game down the stretch which helped to seal the Cavs’ fate in the Play-In Tournament rather than the actual playoffs.

While the Cavs didn’t fare well against the Raptors, they had the luck of the Irish because they took three out of four meetings against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. It’s a shame that the Celtics and Cavaliers are not going to meet in the playoffs this season because the regular season series felt unfinished. Had they met in the playoffs this season, it would’ve added another chapter to their playoff history.

The two teams have gone to a Game 7 twice, in 2008 and 2018 (both of which were in Boston). Game 4 in the regular season series felt like a Game 7 due to the atmosphere and intensity both teams were showing in the game. Both teams knew there was a possibility they could see each other in the postseason, so they ratcheted up the intensity and delivered what I thought was an instant classic as the Cavs defeated the Celtics 118-114 in overtime, albeit without the likes of Jayson Tatum.

Even though the 76ers swept the regular season series against the Cavaliers 4-0 in the 2021-2022 season, I felt like a rivalry was developing between the teams. The margin of victory got smaller and smaller for Philly and it felt like the intensity and animosity increased in each game.

This season, the 76ers won the season series 2-1, but if it weren’t for some questionable calls by the referees in the third game and other factors, then the Cavaliers would’ve won the regular season series 2-1. Winning the regular season series 2-1 against the 76ers could’ve given the Cavs the No. 3 seed in the East instead of the No. 4 seed. If they had secured the third seed, Cleveland would’ve had a more favorable matchup against the Nets in the first round and then would’ve realistically squared off with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and the Celtics in a second round series against a team they beat 3-1 in the regular season.

The New York Knicks went 7-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers this season as they went 3-1 against them in the regular season and then took out the Cavs in five games in the first round. Whether it was the Cavs not making the necessary adjustments to face New York’s defense, the inability to slow down Jalen Brunson, or rebounding woes, the Knicks took it to the Cavaliers. Next season, the Cavs will be looking to get back at the Knicks with a playoff loss fresh in their minds.

The Nets defeated the Cavaliers in the Play-In Tournament last season, but otherwise, they haven’t really impacted the Cavs in the way that the Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, and Knicks have. The only other postseason meeting between the franchises came when they were still called the New Jersey Nets. Back in 2007, the Cavs defeated the Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games en route to the NBA Finals, eventually against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Cavaliers have definitive rivalries with the Celtics and 76ers since those are the teams the Cavs have to measure up against to become competitors, and they’ll have vengeance on their minds when they face the Knicks. That would mean three of the five teams in the Atlantic have a developing rivalry with the Cavaliers. Whenever the Cavs look like they’re going somewhere, someone from the Atlantic Division steps in to put another roadblock in the way.

The Cavaliers have some good pieces on their roster in Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert, if he returns, seemingly Lamar Stevens, and maybe Jarrett Allen. But are they enough to hang with these teams from the Atlantic Division? The Celtics and 76ers are legitimate title contenders and the Knicks are showing that they’re playoff contenders. They all have depth on the roster and don’t rely too heavily on their starters, unlike the Cavaliers, who are overly reliant on Garland and Mitchell.

When the Cavaliers see someone from the Atlantic Division on their schedule, it seems like they increase their level of play and bring more intensity to the matchup. Although the 2023-2024 schedule won’t come out until much later in the summer, Mitchell, Garland and the Cavs should face either the Celtics, 76ers, or Knicks on Christmas, putting their newfound animosity in the spotlight on one of the NBA’s marquee days.

New York, Boston, and Philadelphia all have their windows of contention propped open, and they’ll try to stand in the Cavs’ way again next season.