The Cleveland Cavaliers have incurred numerous injuries to their key stars all throughout the season. Of their top four guys, only Jarrett Allen has been relatively healthy as he has played in 60 games this year. With Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus still injured, the ultimate wish for the Cavs is to be 100 percent healthy by the NBA playoffs.
With 12 games remaining for Cleveland and still at the third seed in the Eastern Conference, maintaining this spot would be terrific for their playoff push. Escaping the bracket of the Boston Celtics in the East is a tremendous outcome that any of these squads are trying to avoid. With the New York Knicks only one game behind Cleveland, a three or four-game skid can force them to slide down the standings.
The races for NBA playoff slots are starting to become intense, so this dream Cavs seeding scenario would be a pleasing sight for the Cleveland fanbase.
Cavs' dream NBA playoffs scenario matchup is the Pacers in Round 1 or 76ers with no Embiid
With the track record of having trouble with the Knicks in a series, the Cavs must avoid them at the early stages of the postseason. A four-five matchup between these two would give the upper hand to New York. Moreover, the Orlando Magic may seem like an ideal matchup for Cleveland, but it is still more of a balanced battle because of the incredible defense of Orlando.
The best matchup for the Cavs would be the Indiana Pacers in a two-seven or three-six matchup. They will likely have a complete lineup in mid-April, and the Pacers do not have the personnel to contain the point-of-attack ability of Mitchell and Darius Garland. They can have the offensive firepower that will make them grab a game or two in the series, but Cleveland's talent and size will be too much for the inexperienced Pacers.
The other situation that can be a delightful tilt for the Cavs is facing the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid. It has not been reported if he is surely returning for the postseason so seeing them in Round 1 would be ideal for their organization.
Bucks in Round 2, Boston gets eliminated before ECF
If the Cavs do get past the first round regardless of their opponent, there is a high probability they will meet Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks in a hotly-contested series. These two franchises are evenly matched when both are healthy as their strengths — size and three-point shooting —are similar.
The Bucks likely have the edge in experience because of their 2021 championship, but one must remember that this is their first year with Lillard as the second-fiddle. The imposing will of Antetokounmpo in his constant drives can be negated by Mobley and Allen because of their superb defensive prowess. Furthermore, they have perimeter defenders who will not be afraid to bang bodies with Milwaukee's bigs like Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, and Marcus Morris Sr.
Milwaukee is arguably the second-best team in the East, but the East semis seems like the best time to battle them. For the Cavs, they will have trouble in a series against the Boston Celtics, so the wish for their squad is for Boston to somehow get eliminated early. If they are out, the path to the finals becomes more plausible for Cleveland even if they face the Miami Heat or New York Knicks in the Conference Finals.
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