2022-2023 Regular Season II: Cardiac Cavs

[jjvors]

Top ten plays and a Cav gets some play. It's the game's best play too, in my opinion.

 

[dms]

Might as well start discussing Cavs-Knicks in the 1st round as there's about a 98% chance that's going to be the 4-5 matchup.

It's likely but more like about 70%. If we win both in Brooklyn we knock the Nets out of the discussion, if we win one we knock them out of a chance at the 4 seed, but if they sweep both and we are in NJ and we've struggled on the road, who knows we could fall to the 6th seed still.
The Heat are also still on the fringes. They have 2 left against the Knicks and one with Brooklyn, If they sweep those they are right there for the 5 seed. Whatever the case we'll likely know by the end of this month, for some reason all the teams play rotating patsies over the 10 days in April.

 

[Jscc]

Random thoughts that don't belong in any particular thread:

- Boy has the top of the East changed. Boston slips to third and Philly takes the second seed. If this is the Tatum Boston gets in the playoffs, they won't make it to the ECF. It will likely be the Bucks and 76ers. Giannis vs. Embiid is a great match-up.

- I think Embiid is more MVP-worthy than Jokic right now, but the true MVP is Giannis and it has been for most of the season. Unless something catastrophic happens, Bucks are my pick to win the NBA title. The Clippers with Kawhi and PG are the only team capable of slowing Giannis down if Embiid can't do it. The Celtics are too.. but not with the way Tatum is currently playing.

- I wouldn't mind losing to the Bucks if we stumble into them. I think it would be grueling for Giannis to have to go against JA or Mobley an entire series. Not in the totally shut him down sense.. but the Iguodala/LeBron sense.

- Poeltl is now showing why Toronto traded for him. I think Toronto comes out of the play-in tournament and faces the Bucks in the first round. Fun match-up.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

In March the Sixers are 9-1 with a league leading +13.4 point differential. The Cavs are 6-3 and 2nd in differential at +6.7. IOW, the Sixers have been almost twice as good as the second best team over the last 9-10 games. They are kicking butt. Yet we were right there with them on the second night of a back-to-back without Allen and Rubio, and with the refs making sure Embiid didn't foul out.

In their last 15 games the Cavs rank 29th in opponents' 3-point percentage at 39.7%. I don't know what happened to the perimeter defense, but they're allowing a nearly 40% success rate. In terms of 3-point differential they are the worst at -3.7%. IOW, they're getting outscored on 3's by more than any team over the last 15 games.

However, over the same time frame the Cavs rank 4th in steals per game. They're getting more opportunistic on defense and gambling more. They need to continue getting steals while contesting the 3's better.

 

[eChameleon]

Three days off between games is brutal.

 

[ticon12389]

Three days off between games is brutal.

Brutal for us but great for the team.

 

[shoes22]

Three days off between games is brutal.

That’s what happens when the Cavs have played more games than literally every other team in the NBA (look it up!). This has been the case for the last two weeks.

Very weird scheduling quirks that have seemingly only affected the Cavs and not any other team.

 

[cavsfever]

Might as well start discussing Cavs-Knicks in the 1st round as there's about a 98% chance that's going to be the 4-5 matchup.

I would say we know our whole season outcome at this point. We will win 50-52 games, play the Knicks in the first round and win a close one, then get BTFO by Milwaukee in the second round. Then we’ll spend the summer arguing about whether we looked good enough in the playoffs to be a realistic future contender, arguing about whether Levert’s new contract is an overpay, and making up impossible trades where Koby combines Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second rounder to get an all star SF

 

[Prime 1978]

I would say we know our whole season outcome at this point. We will win 50-52 games, play the Knicks in the first round and win a close one, then get BTFO by Milwaukee in the second round. Then we’ll spend the summer arguing about whether we looked good enough in the playoffs to be a realistic future contender, arguing about whether Levert’s new contract is an overpay, and making up impossible trades where Koby combines Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second rounder to get an all star SF

I hope to get to the point of feeling that confident in us beating the Knicks. Brunson and Randle worry me quite a bit. I see early foul trouble for Mobley in that matchup. Especially considering what we saw from officiating in the 76er games. The games in MSG are going to be tough, loud crowd, good team, and the refs. The national media would love a Knicks playoff series win to officially deem the Knicks as being “back”.

I love having Mitchell for this series. We’ve seen him go absolutely nuts in the playoffs. Everyone else is an unknown pretty much. Then there’s JBB vs Thibs. I’m no big fan of Thibs but he’s taken a team to the conference finals so he’s won playoff series before.

ETA: Rubio also has playoff experience and has played well against the Knicks.

 

[Ethan]

If we beat BKN once - That should give us Top 5 seed.
If we beat NY next week - That should give us Top 4 seed.

With homecourt we should beat NY in the playoffs.

 

[foucault87]

If we beat BKN once - That should give us Top 5 seed.
If we beat NY next week - That should give us Top 4 seed.

With homecourt we should beat NY in the playoffs.

I like it but you are thinking too small. With the 4 seed, we should beat NY, Bos, Mil, and LAL as we win the title

 

[Benway]

Can we manage a 16-12 record in the post-season?

 

[macbdog]

If Mobley's ceiling is merely "top 20 in the league," we're screwed.

I.... I don't think you understand what this euphemism means. That's still an absolutely fantastic return for the 3rd pick in the draft.

 

[foucault87]

Can we manage a 16-12 record in the post-season?

16-0

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

We'll have to beat both the Knicks and the refs. If we manage to get past the Knicks, which is unlikely, the refs will make sure Giannis doesn't get knocked out in the second round.