Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, their last of four straight NBA Finals matchups against the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavs only briefly remained in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, falling to the New York Knicks in five games in the first round. Despite several injuries and different starting lineups this year, the Cavs are hanging around in the top 3 of the Eastern Conference standings alongside the Bucks and Celtics. Further down the rankings, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat lurk, ready to repeat their run in the Finals.
Between mid and late March, Eric Spolstra usually starts pushing all the right buttons and the Heat start to get back into shape. Jimmy Butler moves from “Regular Season Jimmy” to “Playoff Jimmy”. Both the Bucks and Celtics have first-hand experience of what it’s like to face this version of the Heat. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers intend to make a deep run into the playoffs in 2024, but to do so they must avoid sleeping giant Miami.
The regular season series between the Heat and Cavaliers is tied 1-1, with each team winning on the other’s home court. To close out the series, Miami and Cleveland will face each other twice in five days. First, they will collide at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland on March 20, before facing off at the Kaseya Center in Miami four days later. Between these two games, the Heat will host the New Orleans Pelicans while the Cavs will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 22.
New Orleans and Minnesota are both fighting for a playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference, so neither matchup will be easy for the Cavaliers or Heat. The T-Wolves haven’t been the same team since losing Karl-Anthony Towns to a meniscus injury, while the Pelicans seem to be finding their rhythm at the right time. So the Cavs have a slight advantage due to what could be an easier matchup against the Wolves in Minnesota. Miami will be in the middle of a four-game homestand (NO, CLE, GS, POR). The March 24 game in Miami will mark the first back-to-back game for the Cavs as they host the Charlotte Hornets on March 25.
Coincidentally, each of Mimai’s three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2020 have all come against the league-leading Boston Celtics. Miami is 2-1 in those three ECF appearances as they beat the Celtics in 2020 in the Orlando bubble and in 2023, although Boston got the better of Miami in 2022. Five Combined trips to the Conference Finals and NBA Finals show just how dangerous he is. of a team that are the Heat. There is no other team in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings with its resume and playoff pedigree.
Although Cleveland wants to avoid Miami, a key offseason acquisition could offer them a glimpse of Miami’s gameplay: From 2020 to 2023, Max Strus played for the Heat and got to experience all three ECF runs and two Finals. Space the ground and add shooters to capitalize on the Garland-Mitchell duo and preventing the Cavs from stagnating in the playoffs for the second straight season was a top priority for Cleveland this offseason as they went out and added Ty Jerome (who is out due to injury) , Georges Niang, and Strus.
Strus was inserted into the starting lineup and it has paid off for the Cavs as he averages around 12 points per game and has been a floor spacer. Plus, his knowledge of Miami gameplay could swing a series. His historic beater to beat the Dallas Mavericks in February was one of the Cavs’ best plays of the season. Still, Strus’ insider knowledge and late-game heroics wouldn’t be enough to tip the scales in Cleveland’s favor in a potential series against the Heat alone.
Toward the end of January, the Heat traded with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire point guard Terry Rozier in exchange for guard Kyle Lowry and a protected 2027 first-round pick. It took Rozier a little time to get comfortable with the Heat’s system, but he has fit in quite well and is averaging 15 points per game as a member of the Miami Heat. Miami thought they found the right point guard position with Kyle Lowry, but Rozier is giving them a lot more juice at this point in his career.
The Cavaliers experienced what it means to be upset early last year. They don’t want this to happen again, but the Heat are the team with the best chance of making it happen. The Heat don’t care who they face in the first round, they just want to avoid the Play-In for the second straight season. The Heat are five games out of fourth place in the East, and that’s a haunting proposition for Cleveland. A first-round matchup against the Heat would not be favorable for the Cavs, while facing the Orlando Magic or Indiana Pacers would be a better matchup for the Cavaliers.
If Cleveland faces a dangerous Heat team, Mitchell and the combination of Mobley and Allen will have to compensate for “Playoff Jimmy” and Adebayo. Additionally, Garland and Cleveland’s role players will need to step up and make up for what Miami can deploy with Duncan Robinson, Rozier, Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Jr. and Caleb Martin. The Cavs could miss Lamar Stevens’ strong defense at times if they face Miami. The Cavs don’t need Dean Wade to go crazy and beat the Heat 20-17 like he did against the Celtics on March 5, but they do need him to provide consistent offense.
Surprisingly, Isaac Okoro offended for the Cavs, whether he’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. From March 1 to 6, Okoro scored at least 10 points including 16 against the Celtics on March 5. He followed that up with 17 against Atlanta on March 6.
In the game against the Celtics, it was Georges Niang who scored the game-tying three-pointer to tie the score at 99. In the victory against New Orleans on March 13, Niang provided 16 points. He’s had a few rough games since the calendar flipped to March, but Niang has continued to shoot the ball and would be a big asset if the Cavs face the Heat in the playoffs this season. Even if the Cavs don’t want to play the Heat, they are better equipped to make the playoffs this season.
Based on how the Eastern Conference playoff picture is shaping up, a Heat vs. Cavaliers series would most likely happen in the first round if it happens. The Cavs would have home-court advantage in this series, but would that scare the Heat? No way ! If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to make a deep playoff run, they need to avoid the Miami Heat in the playoffs.
Following. 5 doubts The Cavaliers have been wrong this season. 5 doubts The Cavaliers have been wrong this season. dark
