Are you afraid of spiders? Have you suffered a devastating playoff loss? Now, don’t get me wrong—I know they have six legs, and I know the Heat have won five postseason series as the lower seed in the last five years—four more than any other Eastern Conference team in that time. But, arachnophobes can’t run away from daddy long-legs forever, and the Cavs can’t win their championship without eventually defeating Miami, the Knicks, or some other formidable opponent.
It would be better to squash the spider right away.
As an alternative, Cleveland might want for a simpler matchup. It might attempt to do what other clubs have done, which is to manipulate the bracket in an attempt to set up a more advantageous matchup against the Pacers or 76ers by skipping a few games in April.
But to what end? Would the Cavs’ victory over Indiana, who is ranked second in terms of offensive but 25th in terms of defense and 22nd in terms of rebounding rate, indicate that their shooting and rebounding problems from the previous spring had been resolved? Would defeating the Sixers, with or without a diminished Joel Embiid, persuade Donovan Mitchell that the Cavs were competitive? And would it really matter if they were put to the test in the first round of the playoffs rather than the second?
But to what end? Would the Cavs’ victory over Indiana, who is ranked second in terms of offensive but 25th in terms of defense and 22nd in terms of rebounding rate, indicate that their shooting and rebounding problems from the previous spring had been resolved? Would defeating the Sixers, with or without a diminished Joel Embiid, persuade Donovan Mitchell that the Cavs were competitive? And would it really matter if they were put to the test in the first round of the playoffs rather than the second?
Cleveland has either applied the lessons it should have learnt from the last campaign or it hasn’t. Either the Cavs are prepared to exchange blows with strong teams, or they are not. It doesn’t seem to matter when they provide that proof—as long as they do so in the postseason.
Thus, I can appreciate your reluctance. The top strategist in the NBA is Erik Spoelstra, coach of the Heat. In terms of postseason win shares per 48 minutes, Miami forward Jimmy Butler tops all active Eastern Conference players. Additionally, many postseason aspirants have seen their hopes dashed by Heat Culture since Butler and Spoelstra partnered.
However, regardless of how much the Cavaliers pretend it can’t hurt them, Miami is still under the bed. It is not possible to ignore their playoff scars. Furthermore, the Bogeyman can aid in the Cavs’ growth more than Indiana or Philadelphia can.
He is genuine. The Cavs must accept his presence before they can draw any lessons from him when he makes a guest appearance on Wednesday night.
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