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The Cleveland Cavaliers have earned the right to rest. With a dominant 64-17 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference already locked in, they’ve done everything a team could ask for in the regular season. But as the curtain drops on the 2024-25 regular season campaign against the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs are choosing caution over competition. And yet, the game might still tell us more about Cleveland's postseason prospects than a full-strength blowout ever could.
Yes, this will look nothing like a playoff preview. Cleveland is down nearly its entire core: Donovan Mitchell (ankle), Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (back), Max Strus (knee), De’Andre Hunter, Isaac Okoro, Sam Merrill, and Dean Wade—all out. Jarrett Allen, the team’s iron man this season, may play a few ceremonial minutes to cap off an impressive milestone: his first-ever 82-game season. After that, expect the G-League Avengers to take center stage.
It's time for the Cavs' G-Leaguers and third-stringers to assemble
The Cavs will roll out a makeshift rotation including Craig Porter Jr., Jaylon Tyson, Javonte Green, Tristan Thompson, Chuma Okeke, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Luke Travers, and Emoni Bates. That’s not a typo. That’s a full preseason lineup in an end-of-season game with no standings implications. On paper, it’s a formality. It’s a sneak peek into the Cavs’ secret weapon. Their depth.
Don’t scoff at the bench. This ragtag group just helped knock off a 50-win New York Knicks team in Madison Square Garden. Down by 23 in the second half, the Cavs clawed back to pull off a 108-102 win. Cleveland accomplished this with no Mitchell. It was sheer willpower and team chemistry that turned the tide. That matters.
This version of the Cavs may not be star-studded. Nevertheless, they’re scrappy. That mentality might be exactly what wins playoff games when things go sideways. Because the postseason isn’t about perfection. It’s about adaptation and surviving foul trouble, injuries, and cold shooting nights. It’s about finding unexpected heroes. This game against Indiana could spotlight some of those.
On the other side, the Pacers aren’t exactly trotting out their best either. They’re already locked into the No. 4 seed with a first-round date against the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ve got injury issues of their own: Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard are all nursing minor to medium concerns. They’ll rest players because, like the Cavs, their postseason dance card is already filled.
But there’s a different kind of motivation for Indiana. If they beat Cleveland, they’ll notch their first 50-win season in over a decade. Even if it's just a symbolic benchmark, that’s something a young, rising team can rally around. And let’s not forget: the Pacers lead the season series 2-1 and could meet the Cavs again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. There’s psychological weight to this.
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Looking at the big picture
Still, it’s hard to look past the big picture for Cleveland. The decision to rest so many key players speaks volumes—not about weakness, but about confidence. This isn’t a team limping toward the playoffs. It’s a team pacing itself like a marathoner entering the final mile. Mitchell’s ankle needs rest. Garland’s toe needs to be right. Mobley and Strus must be fresh to anchor both ends of the floor. De’Andre Hunter and Okoro are vital perimeter stoppers. Sitting them now isn’t conceding—it’s preserving.
If this game turns into a blowout, it won’t matter. If it’s close, even better. But the point isn’t the scoreboard. The point is that the Cavaliers are building something sustainable, something resilient. They're giving their rotation players rest and letting their reserves experience real minutes against playoff-level talent. That’s not coasting—that’s calibrating.
This is a team that’s been compared to a symphony orchestra this season, each player a note in a beautifully coordinated performance. But Sunday’s version will be more like a jazz jam session: improvised, chaotic, and maybe, just maybe, revelatory.
Because if even Cleveland’s third stringers can hang with Indiana’s regulars, what does that say about the ceiling when the stars return?
So, no, Sunday’s game won’t shake the standings. But it may shake expectations. And in a postseason where health, depth, and adaptability rule the day, the Cavaliers might be sending a not-so-subtle message:
We’re not just the best team in the East—we’re the deepest.
