What Cavaliers' Loss Against Lakers Means for Eastern Conference Playoff Seeding

What the Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff seeding currently looks like right now.

Mar 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and center Evan Mobley (4) reach in front of Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) for a rebound in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 127-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday stung in terms of momentum.

It also hurt the postseason picture that the Cavs are battling, as they took a step backwards in their quest to reach the playoffs, which is within their grasp, but they haven’t been able to grab it with two hands.

But the loss leaves Cleveland facing a scenario that could be tougher than they imagined.

First round opponents: The ultimate dilemma

With the New York Knicks losing to the Houston Rockets, the door would have opened for the Cavs to potentially seal a playoff spot, having already qualified for the postseason.

However, the Cavaliers fluffed their lines in Hollywood, and if the regular season were to end today, they would find themselves going up against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. A team that right now, no one wants to face.

The Hawks are peaking at the best time. After trading Trae Young to Washington, they went on an 11-game winning streak that ended last Friday against the Rockets, but have bounced back almost immediately with back-to-back wins, making them a nightmare opponent in the opening round.

They have won eight of their last ten games.

The Cavs do own a victory over Atlanta this season, but so do the Hawks. The two sides meet within 48 hours of each other, starting on April 8, so we could get a preview of what their playoff battle might look like.

Or on the flip side, the Cavaliers could face the Toronto Raptors. A team that is showing some inconsistencies going into the postseason, but have had Cleveland’s number this season.

The Raptors have won all three games against the Cavs this season by an average of 11.6 points, but the last meeting was back in November, when Cleveland had a flurry of injury problems.

The Cavs are now as good to full strength as can be, so could it be time for a measure of revenge against Toronto?

If going on current form tells us anything, the current teams in the play-in positions, Philadelphia, Orlando, Miami and Charlotte would be better opponents given the form that they are in, especially the Magic and Heat, who have dropped seven of their last ten.

But in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. The Cavs won’t be the No. 1 seed this season, but their road – if they get there – will be hard.