The Eastern Conference will officially run through Detroit. The Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since the 2006-07 season, and All-Star guard Cade Cunningham is inching closer to his return from injury.
With the top two teams of the backet all but set, coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff have a tough decision to make. They can technically still make a run at the No. 3 seed, but is it in their best interests to do it? Matchups are crucial, and they have to consider the big picture and the whole bracket.
Conversely, not playing as hard as they can in the final stretch of the season can create bad habits. You never want to enter the playoffs without momentum, even if it's just to draw more favorable matchups. So, what to do?
The Cavs need to figure out their approach for the end of the season
As things stand now, the Cavs are only one game behind the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed in the East. Mike Brown's team has been inconsistent, and with four games left in the regular season, that's still a real possibility.
That road, however, may lead to the Boston Celtics in the second round. They'd have to beat the Toronto Raptors in the first round, which shouldn't be much of an issue, but going against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown before the Eastern Conference Finals might be just too risky.
Then, there's tanking the final four games of the season to secure the No. 4 spot. They have already locked homecourt advantage through the first round, so technically, there's nothing at stake. They'd face the Pistons in the second round, but even though they have a better record than the Celtics, they don't have that much experience, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff has struggled in the postseason.
That said, it's not a simple decision, either. While this team is all settled and has developed a strong chemistry, we've seen how quickly momentum can change in this league. You never want to enter the playoffs on a losing streak and without playing your best basketball, as bad habits tend to stick almost immediately.
At the end of the day, you have to beat the best to be the best, and the Cavs should like their chances against anybody in the league. At this point, it's a matter of whether they want to face the Celtics in the second round or in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they have to win plenty of games to get to that point regardless.