The Big Reason Why Cleveland Cavaliers Should Avoid No. 3 Seed in Eastern Conference

The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in striking distance of the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Cavs are just one game back from the Knicks, who have been the No. 3 seed in the East over the last month. The Detroit Pistons have locked up the No. 1 seed, and it feels like the Boston Celtics are all but locked into No. 2.

But the Cavs must avoid supplanting the Knicks over their final five days of this regular season.

If the Cavs become the third seed in the Eastern Conference, they’d set themselves up for a second-round matchup against the Celtics, who recently returned Jayson Tatum from his Achilles tendon recovery.

Staying the fourth seed would make life easier on the Cavaliers, who are still coming together as a team during a regular season filled with injuries and trades.

Cavs should not want second-round matchup against Celtics

The Celtics have proved that Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who played at an MVP level this season, are a championship caliber duo. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are an aggravating, defensive-minded backcourt. While Boston’s frontcourt is not as deep or talented as Cleveland’s after they broke up with Kristaps Porzingis, avoiding the Celtics would be in the best interest of the Cavaliers this season.

It’s imperative that the Cavaliers make it out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the Donovan Mitchell era, the Cavs have been unable to make it out of the second round. Following last year’s Game 5 loss against the Indiana Pacers, many locally and nationally expected Cleveland’s core four to be broken up in the offseason.

And it didn’t make it too much longer.

The Cavs traded Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden, getting 10 years older. Harden has been to the NBA Playoffs all 17 years of his legendary career. This trade signaled that the Cavaliers understand that they have a golden opportunity to make the NBA Finals this season.

The Pacers have been without Tyrese Haliburton all season due to his ruptured Achilles tendon. The Celtics rushed back Tatum. The Knicks have been inconsistent all year.

Outside of those teams? There’s not anybody else on the same playing field as the Cavaliers, who have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NBA.

But there’s no reason to face the Celtics until the Eastern Conference Finals. Why would the Cavaliers intentionally choose a more difficult path? The Cavaliers won’t get any extra credit or bonus points for a more difficult path to the Finals. The most strategic path would be for the Cavaliers to stay in the No. 4 seed, assuring themselves an easier route that wouldn’t include the Celtics until the conference finals.

The Cavs have done this before

This isn’t unfounded.

Even though Mitchell turned his nose up at the suggestion of intentionally tanking games for more favorable playoff seeding, the Cavs have done this before. Two years ago, they wanted a first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic. Back in 2017, LeBron James and the Cavs avoided the Washington Wizards, who were playing hot basketball with John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has acknowledged that he's aware of their seeding dilemma. Strategy must prevail in this situation.

If the Celtics were to defeat the Cavs in the second round, a huge shakeup could potentially take place this offseason. Mitchell’s contract will be entering its final season. Harden’s will be, too.

This season might not be championship or bust for the Cavs. It’s rare for NBA teams that made blockbuster deadline deals to win the title that same season. But they absolutely have to get to the Eastern Conference Finals to prove to Mitchell, Harden and everybody else that they are moving this organization forward – not spinning their tires while stuck in neutral.