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The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2018.
That can change on Saturday night, pending the outcome of the game between the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets. If the Heat win, the Cavs will clinch a spot in the top six of the Eastern Conference. Should Brooklyn win, Cleveland can earn its playoff spot with a victory on Sunday at home against the Houston Rockets.
Making the playoffs is a formality for the Cavs and has been for quite some time. They’ve held one of the five best records in the NBA for the majority of the last two months. From the middle of January it would have taken a catastrophic collapse for the team to end up back in the play-in tournament, where last season ended for the Cavs.
Just because it’s been a formality doesn’t mean making the playoffs isn’t a big deal for the Cavs. Obviously, so much of the history of this franchise is tied to LeBron James. In the 11 seasons in which James spent in Cleveland, the Cavs won 50 games or more eight times and made the postseason nine times.
This season will mark the first time that the Cavs make the playoffs without James on the roster since 1997-98. That year, the Cavs won 47 games. Should the Cavs win one more game they’re surpass that number and have their most wins since 1992-93. This season has been a success by any metric historically.
Making the playoffs won’t be an immediate cause for celebration for the Cavs, at least not head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
“We have a job to do. We're still fighting for something. And it's in our hands,” Bickerstaff said following practice on Saturday. “Our focus will be on that and we'll celebrate when the season's over.”
It might not be a cause for massive celebration, but Bickerstaff did say that he would be watching the game between Miami and Brooklyn on Saturday.
What the Cavs are still fighting for is home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. At this point, that feels like a formality as well. For that to happen, the Cavs need a combination of wins and losses by the New York Knicks that equals three. That could be wrapped up as early as Tuesday.
Even if it takes a little bit longer for that to happen, and it likely will, the Cavs have recognized that finishing in the top four would be a big deal for their hopes of advancing.
“It's very important. They say that's what changes series, homecourt advantage,” center Jarrett Allen said. “If you make a big shot, the crowd is going to be into it. If we're down and we're not feeling like we're playing our best, then the crowd can kind of give us some more energy to go forward.”
As things look now, it’s likely the Cavs will be taking on either the Knicks or the Heat in the first round. Those two teams both feature raucous home crowds, especially come playoff time. Having to play no more than three road games in the first round, and more importantly having a potential Game 7 at home, would be vital.
“I think for our guys who are going through this experience for the first time, the more comfortable they can be, the better. I think we've all seen the relationship that our guys have with our fans and how important our fans are to our guys, how supported our guys feel,” Bickerstaff said. “I do think it would be a huge benefit for us.”