One win down: Ball Played
April 4, 2017WFNY’s 2017 NFL Draft Coverage: Joe Gilbert’s Top Five Offensive Tackles
April 4, 2017Welcome to Let’s Argue, your weekly opportunity to be #MadOnline. The premise is simple: WFNY’s Mike Hattery and Jeff Nomina will present arguments — maybe just a question or a deep stat dive or a good old fashioned hot take. Then, they will either argue with each other or invite you to come argue with us. This week, Mike and Jeff are starting the argument, but don’t let that stop you for joining in the comment section or coming at us 140 characters at a time on Twitter @SnarkyHatman &@SportsNom.
There are six games left in the regular season and the Cleveland Cavaliers are limping—literally and figuratively—into the playoffs. Of course, the defending champions have enough talent to win a butt-kicking contest on one leg, but to say their recent lull is ill-timed is an understatement.
With back-to-back trips to the Finals, the Eastern Conference hasn’t provided much in terms of resistance for the Cavaliers in seasons past. Is this the year that changes? This week I’m flying solo looking at the major challengers in the East:
Boston Celtics:
Record: 50-27
Offensive Rank: 8
Defensive Rank: 11
Why they are a threat:
Boston is deep, efficient, and annoying. They can throw a steady stream of quality NBA players on the court and run a system that limits mistakes. For a team like the Cavaliers who, let’s say, “struggle” with attention span, Boston is the type of team that will take advantage. They take the third most threes in the league and rarely turn the ball over. So they won’t likely beat themselves. They rank first in the league in annoying narratives, with head coach Brad Stevens ranking somewhere between Greg Popovich and Gandalf in terms of reported magical powers. Isaiah Thomas has been a monster all season, and especially in the fourth quarters. They feature tough defenders such as Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and Avery Bradley, who showed his defensive chops against Kyrie Irving earlier this season.
Avery Bradley hounded Kyrie Irving to prove he’s one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders:https://t.co/SzJfDnT3FT pic.twitter.com/DK4hAO3GMY
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 2, 2017
Why I’m not worried:
Washington Wizards:
Record: 46-31
Offensive Rank: 9
Defensive Rank: 20
Why they are a threat:
In terms of top-end talent, the Wizards back-court of John Wall and Bradley Beal is scary. Wall’s speed and passing creates massive confusion for defenses, an area that, again, is a struggle for the Cavaliers. Wall can push against the Cavaliers’ league-worst transition defense and find open shooters like Beal and breakout wing Otto Porter. Beal is hitting 41 percent of his three pointers this year, and Porter 44 percent. They mix in toughness with a front-court featuring Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris.
Why I’m not worried:
The Wizards are certainly a good team and playing extremely well, but for the tenth consecutive season, they don’t have an answer for LeBron James. They have the offensive firepower to score a lot of points, but the Cavaliers can go small, spread them out, and win any shootout. There’s no love lost in this match-up, and the John Wall vs. Kyrie Irving arguments have raged forever, so it’s easy to see a series getting chippy early. (Of course, any series that features Markieff Morris is likely to get chippy early.) I trust this Cavaliers team to keep their cool and play within themselves more than I do the Wizards. The Cavaliers have spent enough time bickering with each other that it’s just part of their game, at this point. Still, a twisted ankle could make this a tenuous series very quickly.
Toronto Raptors:
Record: 47-30
Offensive Rank: 4
Defensive Rank: 8
Why they are a threat:
Toronto took the Cavaliers to six games in last year’s playoffs, and while a certain amount of boredom from the Cavs played into that, the Raptors are still very good. Kyle Lowry was having a monster season before his injury, and has likely been the best point guard in the East the last two years (ducks as you all throw rotten vegetables at me.) DeMar DeRozan lifted his game to another level, as well. The Raptors are deep and versatile enough to play big or small against the Cavaliers. They also, of course, added Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker at the trade deadline. Ibaka shored up one of their major holes at power forward while Tucker gives them tough defense and another body to throw at LeBron. If Lowry is healthy, this is a deep, tough, versatile team that has playoff experience.
Why I’m not worried:
The “if” in that “if Lowry is healthy” can’t be overlooked. While they feature a lot of talent, Lowry is what makes it all work. When things tighten up in the playoffs, they’ll need DeRozan and Lowry to create shots. If Lowry is unable to hit contested shots and get to his places on the court, they’re going to struggle to keep up. And while they feature a lot of different guys to throw at LeBron, if the Cavaliers spread them out, they are unlikely to have the shooting on the court to scare the Cavs on defense.
So, let’s argue:
The reality is that even a struggling and discombobulated Cavaliers squad can likely handle any of these teams. While the level of play in the East has improved, if the Cavs are hitting threes, it’s hard to see any of these teams have the firepower to steal a series.
If I had to choose, I think Toronto scares me more than anyone. Boston has been pretty good this season, but it’s hard to see them scoring at a pace that keeps up with a fully functioning Cavaliers squad. Washington has some incredible talent and they have given the Cavs fits in the past, but in a series I think the Cavaliers would likely control most games. Toronto has guys who can create and make tough shots, and a deep bench of defenders to constantly frustrate the Cavaliers. It’s hard to imagine Toronto winning a seven-game series, but it’s easy to see them making the Cavaliers work, and work hard.
What do you think? Who scares you the most in the East and why? Vote in the poll below and tell us why in the comments.
This week on #LetsArgue – who is the Cavaliers' biggest threat in the East?
— SportsNom (@SportsNom) April 4, 2017
15 Comments
The Cavs biggest threat is the Cavs.
/drops mic on foot, hurts self.
Good thing they’ve been resting, so they can grind out those 2-overtime thrillers against 9th-place opponents…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/44e3227b3285be89d42b4b1ebc88677c384ab07ddd29d37daceb7990530eba4d.jpg
Wizzzzards. John Wall is the most complete guard in the east, and he can dominate Kyrie. The series comes down to Gortat securing rebounds and Beal making his shots. I think the Cavs beat them but it hurts.
Tangent – I predict that Lue plays everyone tonight and then rests some guys tomorrow night at Boston. Personally, I’d love to see it the other way around – rest guys tonight against a team you still have a shot at beating with backups, then make a statement tomorrow night.
Sanders can handle Gortat…
Right?
No way Lue risks another sternly worded memo from Silver by resting the stars on the Four Letter prime time game…
Fair point. So what does he do then? Play everyone both nights?
Sorry, I forgot to turn on the sarcasm font in my response.
Screw Silver, and screw the Four Letter. Rest them all! (No sarcasm required.)
I’d rather avoid Boston and Toronto until the East Finals. Getting the second seed may work out.
agree. Like Orlando back in LeBron 1.0, they absolutely believe they can beat the Cavs, and it starts with the way Wall just drools at the thought of Kyrie’s matador defense. Kyrie’s refusal to even try to front Wall renders every Wiz game into a track meet the old Cavs can’t win, and makes every Wiz shot an open shot.
if we know anything about LeBron, he will probably be drooling to rest tomorrow night just to stick it in ESPN’s face.
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We will likely face two of these teams (although I would not be surprised if the Wiz get upset in round 1 like they usually do). I think they all are a threat to these current Cavs. You know, the vulnerable, won’t put anyone away, forget what it’s like to be untouchable, Cleveland Cavaliers… Toronto wants revenge, Washington wants to make a name for themselves, and Boston actually thinks they are better than us. Combine the confidence with the fact that they all have All Star PGs coupled with either Derozan, Beal/Porter, or a slue of decent third options, they have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. But I want to play them all.
Yes it’s impossible to play all of them, but that’s what I want to do. I want the Cavs to get the 2 seed and for all of the anti-Clevelanders to write them off. I then want to face the Bulls or Heat, and completely destroy them 4-0. Then Toronto/Washington comes to town, and we wipe them just like we did with ATL last year, while Boston gets the Bucks or Hawks and cruises to the ECF. Then we get Boston, and beat the living piss out of them.
Usually I’d want the easiest path to the Finals, but this year I’m mad as hell that we are being questioned. And I think LBJ is furious right now. I CANNOT wait til the Playoffs start.