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Key: Regular Season Wrap-Up
On Wednesday night, the 2017-18 campaign wraps up for all 30 teams – with some having more to play for than others.
The Cavaliers are still alive for the third-seed in the East and a win over the Knicks combined with a Sixers loss to the Bucks would seal the deal. The Knicks are one of those teams who have nothing to play for – although they proved to be a tough night at the office on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
After battling the injury bug through the first 81 games of the campaign, the Wine & Gold are as healthy as they’ve been all season heading into the Playoffs. Coach Tyronn Lue has his entire group available on Wednesday night, but it’s still unclear on how many of those guys will play – and for how many minutes.
On Monday night in New York, the Cavaliers built an 18-point second half lead before the shorthanded Knicks whittled it down to a deuce early in the fourth quarter. A late Cleveland push got the Cavs over the hump to secure their 50th win and fourth-consecutive Central Division crown.
Those are nice accomplishments, but the 2016 NBA Champs have their eyes on the prize and the first step on that journey will be to wrap up the regular season strong heading into this weekend’s opening round.
Key: The Iron Giant
For all the spectacular achievements that LeBron James has piled up over this past season – one of his absolute finest at age 33 – he’ll reach one on Wednesday night that’s achievable for mere mortals but is something he’s never done: playing in all 82 games.
James missed some time with a sore ankle during Training Camp and he’s been out of this world ever since – putting the squad on his shoulders and guiding Cleveland through one of the weirdest campaigns of his tenure.
James notched his 52nd double-double of the season (one shy of tying Brad Daugherty for the franchise’s all-time mark) in Monday night’s win over the Knicks, finishing with 26 points and a game-high 11 assists.
There’s no telling how many minutes the four-time MVP will log in the regular season finale, but he’s 71 points ahead of his next-closest competitor – James Harden – in his quest to lead the NBA in total points for the first time in his career, coming into tonight’s contest with 2,241 on the season.
Key: Love Machine
LeBron isn’t the only Cavalier who looks completely ready to roll when the Association’s tournament tips off this weekend.
Since returning from a 20-game layoff after fracturing his left hand, Kevin Love has gotten right back into a groove – and he’s been even better as the postseason approaches. On Monday night in Manhattan, the five-time All-Star continued his rock-solid late run, leading both teams with 28 points, going 9-for-17 from the floor, including 6-of-13 from three-point range, adding five boards and a pair of steals.
With his first triple of the night, Love moved past Boobie Gibson for fourth on the Wine & Gold’s all-time list of three-pointers made.
Since his return from injury on March 18, Love is shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc (32-for-70) and he’s been even better over the last week – shooting 51 percent from the floor, 55 percent from deep and 89 percent from the stripe.
He’ll also finish the season as one of just two players – along with DeMarcus Cousins – to average at least 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers made per game.
Key: Keeping Guard
It’s been a long rebuild for the Knicks and they’ll miss the Playoffs for the fifth-straight season – something that doesn’t sit well for hoops fans in the Big Apple.
This season was supposed to be the start of something special, with Kristaps Porzingis starting to hit his stride and Tim Hardaway Jr. providing some offensive punch and veteran stewardship. Instead, the Knicks again go limping into the offseason, with not much positive to take away from this past campaign.
One bright spot has been the defensive play of rookie guard Frank Ntilikina. The 19-year-old international import from France has undergone baptism-by-fire in his freshman season at the Mecca, but he’s continued to improve his game offensively – capped off with a career-best performance on Monday night, notching 10 of his career-best 17 points in first quarter.
Ntilikina will share the backcourt with Columbus native and former Michigan standout, Trey Burke, who’s trying to revive his career with New York.
Burke had a pretty solid run with the Knicks – averaging 12.6 points in 38 appearances – including starts in each of the last eight contests. The ninth overall pick of the 2013 Draft, Burke has posted double-figures in all but four of his last 22 games, including a 12-point, eight-assist outing on Monday night against the Cavs.
Key: Bench Brothers
As the Cavaliers have gotten healthy over the past couple weeks of the regular season, the rotation has come into focus more clearly. And the Wine & Gold head into the postseason with some very dangerous marksmen coming off their bench.
Depending on how Tyronn Lue decides to use his backcourt – whether Kyle Korver or Rodney Hood will get the starting nod in the Playoffs – Lue will have one of those two coming off the bench, along with JR Smith and Jordan Clarkson – both of whom are coming off outstanding nights in New York.
Swish did his work early – netting nine of his 16 points on 3-for-5 shooting in the second period and going 6-for-13 from the floor on the night, including 4-of-8 from deep to go with seven boards, four assists and a pair of steals.
Over his last seven games, Swish is shooting 55 percent from the floor (29-of-53) and 52 percent (12-for-23) from long-distance.
Clarkson, in his 300th career game, did his best work after intermission on Monday night – tallying 11 of his 16 points in the final period – going 3-for-3 from long-distance in the quarter and 4-of-6 from deep overall.
The fourth-year man from Missouri has now registered double-figures in 20 of his 27 games as a Cavalier.