Cavaliers Fans Won't Know How to Feel About NBA Legend's Playoff Prediction

An NBA legend has delivered an NBA playoff prediction that will have Cleveland Cavaliers fans feeling conflicted.

Apr 7, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the playoffs hoping to make an NBA Finals run after a fantastic regular season that culminated in the Cavaliers earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but it certainly won't be an easy road.

Not only is Cleveland faced with the possibility of battling the surging Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs, but it will almost definitely have to get past the Boston Celtics in the conference finals, as well.

However, NBA legend—and recently inducted Hall of Famer—Dwight Howard feels that the Cavs actually will make it out of the East, which is music to the fans' ears. But, on the other side of the coin, he has the Cavaliers falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.

“The Lakers scare me because if LeBron is healthy in the playoffs, it’s going to be tough for teams to beat them in a seven-game series,” Howard told Basketball Insiders. “My mind is saying the Lakers are going to win this year. I see the Lakers against Cleveland.”

The Lakers' championship hopes were reignited after they acquired Luka Doncic in a shocking deal with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA trade deadline, but even after landing Doncic, Los Angeles has been rather inconsistent.

Meanwhile, Cleveland finished with 64 wins and has been much more balanced throughout the 2024-25 campaign, although there is also no doubt that the Cavs faded a bit down the stretch.

The Cavaliers' chances of making a deep postseason run may hinge on the health of Donovan Mitchell, who has been dealing with a sprained ankle that kept him out for the last week of the regular season.

While just making it to the finals would be a major accomplishment for Cleveland, Cavs fans will obviously want to see their team finish the deal if it gets there.

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