The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially secured a playoff berth for the fourth straight season, locking it in with a 118-111 road win over the Golden State Warriors, and currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 49-29 record.
That places them firmly in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup range, currently projected to face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Atlanta take on the Knicks next and have a two-game lead over the sixth-placed Philadelphia 76ers, effectively locking them down to their position unless they undergo a major collapse, per ESPN.
For the Cavs, however, the situation remains interesting. New York holds third at 49-28 and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker (2-1), meaning Cleveland needs both a better record and help to move up.
That means not only their results, but how the Knicks end their regular season also becomes important for Donovan Mitchell and company.
Where can the Cavs end up by the end of the regular season?
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After a slow start driven by injuries, particularly to Darius Garland, the Cavs were just 22-19 and seventh in the East as of mid-January. The turning point came with the February 4 acquisition of James Harden, effectively making them legitimate title contenders.
Since Harden’s debut on February 7, Cleveland has the third-best offensive rating in the NBA. They initially went 5-0 and have since generated a 16-6 run, now giving them a realistic chance of moving up to 3rd.
The Cavs will take on the Memphis Grizzlies next before a double-header against the Hawks, following which they play the Washington Wizards to round off the regular season. New York, on the other hand, will take on the Boston Celtics after their game against Atlanta.
That will be followed by games against the Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Hornets, two teams that are also looking to end the regular season on a high. From a scheduling standpoint, Cleveland appears to have the advantage.
However, the Knicks need to lose at least twice considering their tiebreaker advantage. At the same time, the Cavs remaining in the No. 4 seed might even prove to be beneficial, as that would place them on the opposite side of the bracket from Boston and New York, effectively giving them a potentially easier route to the Conference Finals.
Hence, while the Cavs will be intent on ending the regular season on a high, getting to the postseason healthy may as well be the biggest focus. Donovan Mitchell rolled his ankle in the recent win over the Indiana Pacers, although it does not appear to be a serious issue.
Ultimately, Cleveland enters the postseason as a top-four seed with elite offensive talent, and have no reason to not back themselves against any opposition, particularly in the East.