With their 129-120 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched a playoff berth and home court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. But on the final day of the regular season, where the Cavs finish still isn't set in stone.
The battle for seeding for the No. 2-4 seeds will be tight, and much of it hinges on the Milwaukee Bucks. If the Bucks beat the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee will win the Central Division and claim the No. 2 seed in the East. With that spot, the Bucks will have home-court advantage in at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, if they make it that far.
But there's still plenty at stake for all the teams battling for the second through fourth seeds. Let's break it all down and see what it means from a Cavs perspective.
Cavs aiming to improve playoff seeding on final day of regular season
Let's not beat around the bush here; if Milwaukee beats Orlando, the Cavs will be the fourth seed in the East, and the New York Knicks will be the third seed. The same scenario also happens if all three teams lose their contests on Sunday afternoon.
If the Bucks lose, though, that's where things can get interesting. Assuming the Bucks lose to the Magic and the Knicks and the Cavs both win their respective games, then New York would jump up to second place, Cleveland would move up a spot to third, and Milwaukee would fall to fourth.
If the Knicks win while the Cavs and Bucks lose, New York would be second, Milwaukee would be third, and Cleveland would be fourth. And for the best case scenario, if the Cavs win while the Knicks and Bucks both lose, Cleveland would leap all the way up to the second seed, while Milwaukee would finish as the third seed and New York as the fourth seed.
Moreover, if the Cavs win while the Bucks lose, Cleveland would also win the Central Division title for the first time since the 2017-18 season on top of earning a higher seed over Milwaukee. Cleveland faces the Charlotte Hornets at home at 1 PM EST, so fans must keep track of the Bucks taking on the Magic and the Knicks facing the Chicago Bulls simultaneously.
The Bulls have nothing to play for, as they are locked in as the ninth seed in the East and are bound for the Play-In Tournament. But the Magic, who are hosting the Bucks in Orlando, do have some things to worry about that could favor the Cavs.
If Orlando wins today, they will win the Southeast Division and avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether. The Magic beating the Bucks would greatly help the Cavs lock up the Central Division crown and a higher seed in the East.
But, that doesn't make things any less confusing since the battle for fifth through eighth place in the East is just as messy as it is for second through fourth. The Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Indiana Pacers are all jockeying for these four spots in the East as they try to avoid the Play-In Tournament and clinch a playoff berth. This could directly impact who the Cavs face in the first round, and nearly a dozen possible scenarios could play out.
If Orlando, Indiana, and Philadelphia win, regardless of what Miami does, or all four teams lose:
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami Heat
If Orlando, Indiana, and Miami win, Philadelphia loses:
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Miami Heat
8. Philadelphia 76ers
If Orlando and Indiana win, Miami and Philadelphia lose:
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami Heat
If Orlando and Philadelphia win, Indiana loses, and regardless of whether Miami wins or loses:
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Miami Heat
If Orlando and Miami win, Indiana and Philadelphia lose:
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Miami Heat
8. Philadelphia 76ers
If Orlando wins while Indiana, Philadelphia, and Miami lose:
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami Heat
If Indiana, Philadelphia, and Miami win and Orlando loses:
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Miami Heat
8. Orlando Magic
If Indiana and Philadelphia win, Orlando and Miami lose:
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Orlando Magic
8. Miami Heat
If Indiana and Miami win, Orlando and Philadelphia lose:
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Miami Heat
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Orlando Magic
If Indiana wins while Orlando, Philadelphia, and Miami lose:
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Orlando Magic
8. Miami Heat
If Philadelphia and Miami win, Orlando and Indiana lose:
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Miami Heat
7. Orlando Magic
8. Indiana Pacers
If Philadelphia wins, Orlando, Indiana, and Miami lose:
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Miami Heat
If Miami wins, Orlando, Indiana, and Philadelphia lose:
5. Miami Heat
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Orlando Magic
Clearly, that's a lot to take in, but there are plenty of preferred scenarios for the Cavs on their path to the Eastern Conference Finals. But, like Milwaukee, Orlando and New York, Miami, Indiana and Philadelphia all play at the same time Cleveland does. So, by the time the Cavs wrap things up against the Hornets, the picture for who Cleveland faces in the first round of the playoffs will be much clearer.
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