As the Cleveland Cavaliers gear up for the playoffs, they may not want to face the Philadelphia 76ers,
The Cavaliers are under two weeks away from starting the most important playoff run of the Donovan Mitchell era. In a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Cavs are among the favorites to come out and represent the conference in the NBA Finals.
Especially since the acquisition of James Harden, Cleveland has done nothing but win. They are 18-6 in the games Harden plays, including having a top-four offense in the league since the trade, and the best offensive rating in the clutch since March 1st. The fit with Harden and Mitchell has been seamless, giving the Cavs one of the most lethal duos in the entire playoff field.
Even though Cleveland looks formidable at times, they do have flaws that could prevent them from making a run. One team in particular could give the Cavs a tough series, should they meet this spring.
The Sixers could pose some issues for the Cavs in a potential playoff matchup
Barring a collapse from Atlanta and a late season surge, Philadelphia is unlikely to face Cleveland in the first-round of the playoffs. The Sixers are two games back of the Hawks for the fifth seed and a half-game back of the Raptors for sixth.
Atlanta also swept the regular season series with Philadelphia, meaning the Sixers would have to win out and the Hawks could have to lose out to get the fifth seed.
Even then, there is always the possibility that Philly and Cleveland meet later on in the postseason. Their regular-season series may look uneventful on paper (3-0 in favor of the Cavs), but outside of the first meeting, the Sixers hung tough with the Cavs.
They have speedy and athletic guards in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe that can get out in transition and push Cleveland to the limit in transition. Joel Embiid finally seems to be healthy and at his best, is an MVP-level center that can make life difficult for Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Paul George has been stellar lately and is looking like his old self, which could change Philly's dynamic completely.
The one area that the Cavs would have the upper-hand in is depth. Cleveland has more versatility on the wing than Philly does, as they have Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, and Keon Ellis. One of Mobley or Allen on Embiid for 48 minutes could wear the big man down. The Sixers also do not have many options for Harden or Mitchell.
Philly would be a tough out for Cleveland, but the Cavs could have the upper hand. We have not seen these two teams play since the trade deadline, so we can only speculate about what a potential matchup would look like. Nonetheless, it would be a fun track meet between the two squads.