Analyst Answers Cavaliers Biggest Question As Payoffs Approach

There are about five weeks left before the NBA playoffs officially start.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are extremely aware that their playoff performance will determine the success of this season, and there are still some lingering questions about how prepared this group is.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently identified Cleveland's biggest question leading up to the postseason as, "Did the Cleveland Cavaliers do enough at the trade deadline to give themselves a real shot at getting past Boston in the playoffs?"

The Cavaliers' sole deadline move to match up with the Celtics was acquiring De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks.

Cleveland needed a true three-and-D wing, and Hunter was the best option on the market. So far, the Hunter experiment with the Cavaliers has been a resounding success.

In terms of how this affects a possible playoff series with the Celtics, Windhorst noted Cleveland "would not be favored in a series against Boston, but the Cavaliers proved they have made up significant ground following last week's road victory versus the Celtics."

"De'Andre Hunter is a whopping plus-67 in his eight games as a Cav, and he demonstrated on Friday he can play effective situational defense against Boston's Jayson Tatum. There is no way to shut down Tatum, but Hunter has played hundreds of possessions against Tatum in his career and held him to under 40% shooting."

Feb 4, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) defends Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

So, have the Cavaliers done enough to top the Celtics in a potential postseason series? It doesn't appear so, as Windhorst still believes Boston would be favored in a series against Cleveland.

That said, adding Hunter to the roster gives the Cavaliers a true defensive weapon and undoubtedly makes them a bigger threat to Boston's chances at repeating as NBA champions.

While the Hunter trade is the flashy move, Cleveland's signing of Javonte Green via the buyout market also gives them a defensive weapon off the bench who could be a spark plug for the Cavaliers in the playoffs.

Windhorst may still think Boston has the upper hand, but it's clear that if these two teams do meet up in the playoffs for a second consecutive season, it won't be as one-sided as last year.

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