Playoff Positioning

[kookoo]

1.5 -- Raptors lost to Mavs tonight!

I thought I was looking at updated standings on NBA.Com. 1.5 games behind Toronto and .5 game behind Chicago is pretty amazing for the losing streak we had earlier on in the year.

 

[cavsfever]

Agreed They can not advance to the finals without Rose at all. Similar to last year, they could maintain or even improve upon their current pace, but in the playoffs they will be bounced quickly by any of the other top Eastern teams.

It might all be moot. It's getting close to the point where the Cavs just look like locks to at least make it to the finals regardless of what happens on any other Eastern Conference team.

Really no such thing as a basically first-time playoff team being a 'lock' to make the finals I don't think. Favorites yes, lock no.

Leaving aside injury, always the scariest possibility, bear in mind that in the ECF we will play whichever team is hottest out of Atlanta-Toronto-Washington-Chicago etc. None of those teams may scare you particularly on an average day but if they reach the finals they will be on a roll and playing well together.

Agree we are starting to feel like a strong favorite though....but still almost two more months of regular season to go.

 

[pinoycavsfan]

i feel that the bulls play better with brooks on the floor than rose.. losing rose is tough but he's not as impactful as a player than he was before.. sure he gets hot sometimes but the dominance is not there.. a lineup of brooks/snell/butler/gasol/noah is not bad.. a good mix of offense and defense.. and with the emergence of butler and snell the bulls has become deadlier.. i am more wary of the bulls than the hawks.. they have size at every position that can defend well..

 

[tsteele316]

Really no such thing as a basically first-time playoff team being a 'lock' to make the finals I don't think. Favorites yes, lock no.

Leaving aside injury, always the scariest possibility, bear in mind that in the ECF we will play whichever team is hottest out of Atlanta-Toronto-Washington-Chicago etc. None of those teams may scare you particularly on an average day but if they reach the finals they will be on a roll and playing well together.

Agree we are starting to feel like a strong favorite though....but still almost two more months of regular season to go.

Not necessarily. The wizards are circling the drain, and Toronto is fading. The bulls will hang around while thibs grinds his guys down to maintain a 4 seed. Advancing in the east may just be a war of attrition among a handful of teams playing poorly.

But if Orlando of 2009 taught us anything, it's that the playoffs are unpredictable, steroids notwithstanding.

 

[Jscc]

beat each team they face at their full strength and prove their worth.

The focus should be on beating West contenders then. Cleveland has beaten every contender in the East and West at least once with the exception of Golden State, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

They face ALL four within the next month. Golden State on 2/26, Houston on 3/3, Dallas on 3/10, and San Antonio on 3/12.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Damn, just out of the Eastern playoff contenders, Paul George, Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, and Jabari Parker all suffered season ending injuries. I want them all healthy so that we can see what a fully healthy Eastern Conference looks like (could be very good from seeds 1 to 8 if Indiana and Miami were healthy and in those last 2 seeds) and so that the Cavs could beat each team they face at their full strength and prove their worth.

I don't care about the Cavaliers proving their worth. Anything that makes it more likely they win a Championship is fine by me.

 

[MikeOC33]

Two teams the Cavs are very likely to face in the first round are two teams I don't want them to face in the first round.... Indiana or Detroit. Yes, I think Clev can beat both in a series... but both are very strong first round matchups.

Indy broke Clev's 12 game streak, almost beat SA, beat GS...

Detroit just beat Washington also (who hasn't) and Chicago... and they are strong inside....

I think both will get the 8th and 7th spots.. Miami, Brooklyn and Char (?) will not make it... so likely Clev will pass Toronto for #2... they will probably play either Indy or Det.

 

[brownsbuck6]

Two teams the Cavs are very likely to face in the first round are two teams I don't want them to face in the first round.... Indiana or Detroit. Yes, I think Clev can beat both in a series... but both are very strong first round matchups.

Indy broke Clev's 12 game streak, almost beat SA, beat GS...

Detroit just beat Washington also (who hasn't) and Chicago... and they are strong inside....

I think both will get the 8th and 7th spots.. Miami, Brooklyn and Char (?) will not make it... so likely Clev will pass Toronto for #2... they will probably play either Indy or Det.

Detroit isn't in the same universe of concern as Indy would be with a healthy Paul George. Detroit, IMO, is about as easy a first round matchup as we could hope for.

 

[Simon]

Just an fyi, I wouldn't want to face Indiana. Paul George could be back next month.

I'd rather face Detroit.

 

[Mdog1]

It's not impossible to win the East just yet my friends. Atlanta has been stuggling (or more like coming back to reality) as of late. If they hit a tail spin, and we keep winning, #1 isn't impossible.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I feel bad for Jimmy Butler. Thibs is going to be playing him like 45 minutes a game now.

 

[All4One1ForAll]

We should be able to seize the 2nd seed from Toronto very soon. Now the first seed? I don't know about that. IMO we'd have lose around 2 games max the rest of the season to even have a shot because even then you'd assume that Atlanta will be playing .500 basketball the rest of the way.

 

[Rager]

The Bulls just lost to the Hornets. So we have the same number of wins and losses.

 

[All4One1ForAll]

Wizards might be the sixth seed at this rate. Milwaukee is a half game behind them! Props to Jason Kidd. If you told me they could be the fifth seed earlier this year after having the worst record in the league last year I'd tell you you were insane. If you told me they'd do it despite their number two overall pick being out essentially the whole season and Larry Sanders having quit basketball, I'd look at you like .

 

[I'mWithDan]

I watched the game....Chicago looked freakin horrible. Terrible ball movement, no D and no life at all.

Charlotte could just smell blood with D.Rose out and did whatever they wanted in the second half.