The Cleveland Cavaliers qualified for the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs by outdueling the Orlando Magic in Game 7 for their first-round matchup. This is the first time the Cavaliers will see the Conference Semi-Finals without LeBron James on the roster since the 1993 NBA Playoffs, which was 31 years ago.Â
Over the last 30 years of the Cavaliers’ history, they’ve only been a relevant competitive threat with LeBron on the roster. They sealed their first playoff appearance without James in over 20 years last season and have made an incremental improvement by qualifying one round further this year.Â
The Cavaliers’ last appearance in the second round came in the 2018 NBA Playoffs when they beat the Raptors in a sweep. James was on the squad and averaged 34.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, carrying the team through the playoffs and to the NBA Finals that season.Â
The Cavaliers’ last second-round appearance without James ended with a sweep loss to Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls in 1993.
Donovan Mitchell might not be as elite as LeBron James, but he’s proven himself as a No. 1 option in the Playoffs multiple times over his career. He averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this series and scored 89 points in Games 6 and 7 to single-handedly ensure the Cavaliers could overcome a young and inexperienced Magic squad.
The Cavaliers Are Heading Into A Deadly Matchup
For their hard-fought series win, the Cavaliers have earned the reward of playing the Boston Celtics in the second round. The Celtics won their first-round matchup 4-1 over the Miami Heat and have been the most dominant team in the NBA all season, winning 65 regular season games. They were 14 games better than anyone else in the East, which shows how much of a mismatch this battle is on paper.
Even if Mitchell continues his incredible scoring pace, the Celtics have the weapons to outpoint the Cavs’ uninspiring offense. Their defense has been their calling card, but Jarrett Allen missed Game 7 and his status for the second round is still under question. Regardless, the Cavaliers will need multiple big performances from the players on their roster to keep up with Boston.
The Cavaliers are built to limit production from wings like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum through a combination of elite defenders who could be assigned that matchup. But this could expose someone like Darius Garland defensively while over-relying on defensive production to win them games. In the era of the 3-pointer, excellent defense can often be outmatched by better shooting, something Boston has made a hallmark of their success this season.
Even if the Cavaliers’ see their season end, they’ve taken the forward steps that could help them convince Donovan Mitchell to stay. However, Mitchell has had to carry the team on his back to keep them competitive, so this playoff run could also reinforce his belief that he needs to move to a team capable of bringing him better co-stars.
Related: 5 Trade Offers The Cavaliers Could Accept For Donovan Mitchell This Summer
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
