Cavs continue to try and ride their own wave despite unsteady Eastern Conference

If Cleveland defends home court and defeats Indiana, it will clinch a playoff berth. Seems simple enough, right? Well, not exactly since only a game separates the Cavs and Pacers from fourth and sixth place.

Thankfully, Allen said Cleveland would approach the matchup with Indiana as a playoff-caliber matchup. With Bickerstaff keeping them from tightening up, the pressure shouldn’t be as tight.

Again, if the Cavs play their brand of basketball, then things should fall into place for Cleveland to clinch a playoff berth. But between now and when the regular season wraps up in a few days, it’s still not set in stone who the Cavs will face in the first round.

When asked about not knowing who they’ll play, Bickerstaff said Cleveland has been preparing for numerous scenarios so they’re ready for whoever they play.

“The great thing about it is we have 30 assistant coaches who can divide that up and start to work on it,” said Bickerstaff. “Guys who focus on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball, the special teams type of things.

“We’ve got a big enough staff that we can not skip steps with the games we have in front of us but also get to a point where Sunday happens and we’re not in a panic because we haven’t gotten anything done. So, we’re fortunate enough to have the size of the staff that we do and the guys that I trust to get the job done properly.”

Regardless, it’s fair to question what the most likely scenario is with so little time left in the regular season, right?

Well, according to Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities report, the Cavs have a 54.4% chance to finish the season as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and will host the Orlando Magic (44.2% of fifth place) in the first round of the playoffs.

Outside of Orlando, Indiana, who just faced Cleveland at Rocet Mortgage FieldHouse, has a 29.8% chance of finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Considering that the Cavs have had a topsy-turvy run against the Pacers this season, they might prefer to face the Magic in the first round. Sure, Cleveland split the season series with Orlando 2-2, but the Magic have statistically the worst offense in the league.

That pitiful offense is ideal for a Cavs team that is loaded defensively and can afford a chance for their offense to find balance on the court and, more importantly, an easier path out of the first round.