MUST READ: 2023 Playoffs: Cavs Eliminated & Partial Conference Semis Preview

2 posts ago, I discussed Cleveland's lack of offensive talent outside their starting backcourt. The guards were subpar which is the main reason they lost. A 5 game 1st round series with 3 L's where the Cavs had basically no chance to win in the final minutes is bad. Mobley (inefficient for someone with his shot profile) and Allen (let Robinson get a ton of offensive rebounds) also underperformed. So Robin Lopez (who has a great hook shot) not playing relevant minutes is strange since there was no other reliable big besides those 3. And it was problematic coming into the playoffs that LeVert has the 3rd most offensive talent. With the limited height of Mitchell/Garland and the offensive weaknesses of "Baby KG"/"The Fro", Cleveland needs a competent 3 and D wing. This version of Danny Green might their best option which is unacceptable. On a positive note, the Cavs twin towers did a great job on Randle. It was questionable whether he'd play in game 1 because of an ankle sprain which is why I picked Cleveland to win despite their flaws. Julius might've been the Knicks best player in the regular season so I felt that the Cavs interior defense and his injury would be the #1 reason why New York would loose. But the ankle of the Mecca's all star forward wasn't an issue until the 2nd quarter of game 5, he didn't return after this, so Cleveland's frontline deserves props for that. Lastly, Mobley has to develop a reliable mid range j to unclog his team's offense and needs to polish his post game because that looked horrible vs the Knicks.

I'm still picking Phoenix to beat Denver despite Booker and KD needing 43+ min a game and one of the greatest series performances in the modern era from Devin to beat the Clips without Kawhi for 3 out of 5 games and PG which is embarrassing.
Bam has to be more aggressive to help Jimmy out, especially without Herro. He's too talented to be looking for dribble handoffs and being hesitant when he drives as much as he does while being guarded with about 10 ft of space. A confident mid range j is needed because Thibs, arguably the best defensive coach ever, is probably going to force someone other than Butler to beat his roster. I predict a Knicks W.

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You likely wont agree with everything and that's ok because nobody agrees with every opinion, regardless of the subject. Just know that I tried my best to be objective as possible.

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