The NBA playoffs are just a couple weeks away and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been at the top of the league the whole season. As of April 2, they are in second place in the league, three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Cavs are sitting in first place in the Eastern conference with a record of 60-15 as of April 2. Sports Illustrated predicted them for a 50-win season and to finish top 6 in the East; they are at 60 wins with less than two weeks left in the season and have clinched the one seed in the East April 8.
“Darius Garland has had a bounce back season, Evan Mobley is turning into a star, with the season still having two weeks, they have exceeded the record and season predictions,” junior Cavs fan Liam Leonard said.
Although the playoffs are a go, the Cavs still have some things to clean up before they get under way. One of these critical areas has been taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers. The Cavaliers must clean this up before the playoffs. In tightly contested postseason matchups, Cleveland can not be giving away free possessions, which could hurt them at the end of games according to the article “Cleveland Cavaliers Must Clean Up Key Area Before NBA Playoffs” written by Tommy Wild found on sportsillustrated.com. The Cavs are also without Donavan Mitchell who has an ankle sprain. He has been averaging 24.0 points per game and is a big time player for the Cavs. He is set to return April tenth against the Pacers.
“The Cavs need to stay consistent. One game we will play like we are the best team in the league and then the next game we will slack off. I think mostly because we are tired but if we want to win playoff games we cannot slack off and take some games off,” junior Cavs fan Kaleb Johnson said.
The Cavs had a good 2023-2024 season and playoff run but it ended with a 4-1 series loss to the Celtics in the Conference SemiFinals. This year there is a lot of great competition, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are angling to win their first championship since their 2016 championship win over the Golden State Warriors. It will not be easy and their opponents will put up a huge fight, but Brian Windhorst feels a title is possible for the Cavs. Speaking on ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst said that the Cavaliers are “a team that can win the championship,” according to the article “Brian Windhorst Makes A Big Statement About Cavs’ Playoff Chances” written by “Cavs Daily” found on msn.com.
“I have been able to go to a fair share of Cavs games this year and after seeing them so much you can really see just how dominant they are on the court. I have been to 10 games this year. The outcome of those 10? 10-0,” junior Cavs fan Josh Perez said. “I believe the Cavs are not only going to make a deep run in the playoffs this year but I also think that they are serious contenders for this year’s NBA Finals. We don’t have a team full of superstars, some can argue that we don’t really have a solidified superstar. But, we have such a well rounded team with lots of talent. It also helps having an amazing bench to come and fill in the starting 5’s shoes when needed. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the real deal this year.”
