CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers are going back to the playoffs.
Yet, why do I feel like they've already lost?
Something about the notion of tanking the final game of the season to avoid playing certain opponents in the playoffs does not sit well with me. It feels cowardly, or at the very least, weak.
Let's review what we know.
The Cavaliers went into Sunday's regular season finale against the hapless Hornets locked into the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The possibility was there for the Cavs to move up as high as second with a win, plus losses by the Knicks and Bucks.
Knowing that they would have roughly a week to rest their players before the first round of the playoffs, the Cavs still chose to sit Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert.
I'm not a fan of that, but fine, I get that you want to protect your guys that are banged up, especially Mitchell.
Despite a depleted lineup, the Cavs led 96-88 to start the fourth quarter and would actually lead by 13 with just over 10 minutes to play.
For the final 6:39 of the game, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff rolled with this lineup: Isaiah Mobley, Emoni Bates, Pete Nance, Damian Jones and Tristan Thompson.
Not surprisingly, the Cavs were outscored 18-2 during that span and lost by 10.
Elsewhere
The Milwaukee Bucks, playing without injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, were on their way to getting beaten soundly by the Orlando Magic. A Bucks loss and a Cavs win would have clinched the No. 3 seed for Cleveland, guaranteeing that they wouldn't have to deal with the top-seeded Boston Celtics until the Eastern Conference Finals. It also would have given the Cavs the Central Division title.
Meanwhile, at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were struggling against the Chicago Bulls. The same rules would have applied for the Cavs: a win over Charlotte and losses by the Bucks and Knicks would have put Cleveland at No. 2. That scenario would have again ensured no date with Boston until the East Finals.
However, the second seed in the East will deal with the winner of the Sixers-Heat play-in, meaning a possible date with either Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler in the first round.
No one is saying it, but the Cavs apparently wanted no part of that scenario. Why else would they have decided to hand out participation ribbons and make sure everyone on the bench got a chance to play in the fourth quarter?
Bickerstaff maintained that his move to bench his starters in the fourth quarter was part of a plan.
“We were aware some of that stuff (Knicks and Bucks) was going on," Bickerstaff explained. "But once we sat our guys at the end of the third quarter, and they had the mindset that they weren’t going to go back in, I didn’t want to take any risks in putting them back in the game when they already cooled down, and then something else happens."
Now as it turns out, the Knicks rallied to win in overtime, so they will be the No. 2 seed. Had the Cavs not tanked, they would have had the No. 3 seed, a division crown, and a date with the Indiana Pacers in the first round.
Instead, they'll get the Magic.
Was it a smart move?
I hear people giving the Cavs credit for Sunday's tank-a-palooza, calling them smart for ducking out of a potential matchup with the Sixers and Embiid.
I don't mean to go all Clint Eastwood "get off my lawn" here, but that's ridiculous. It's weak.
All you've done now is show the rest of the league how scared you are of certain teams, while giving some bulletin board material to the young and feisty Orlando Magic.
Oh yeah, by the by, Orlando and the Cavs split their four regular season matchups this season. This series is not going to be a cakewalk by any means.
And if the Cavs do get by Orlando, they'll likely have the Celtics waiting for them (barring an upset, of course) in Round 2. Is winning a first round series alone enough of an improvement in order for everyone to keep their jobs and for this roster to stay together?
I'm not so sure.
Maybe this will work. Maybe the Cavs will take care of the Magic to spark a deep playoff run.
For Bickerstaff and team president Koby Altman's sake, it had better.
Otherwise, the way this team faltered down the stretch after such a promising couple of months will leave an indelible impression on the owner and its fans. And not in a good way.
In January and into early February, the Cavaliers looked like one of the best teams in the NBA. At one point, they won nine straight and 16 of 17, with much of those victories coming without the injured Garland and Evan Mobley.
Following the All-Star break, the Cavs were just 12-17, which included blowing a 26-point lead to the Clippers, plus Sunday's tank job on Fan Appreciation Day.
Maybe this will work. But I wouldn't bet on it.
More Cavaliers coverage:
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- Cleveland Cavaliers finish regular season at #4 in Eastern Conference, will play Orlando Magic in first round of playoffs