MUST READ: Pre 2023 Playoffs: Cavs & Kings

The Cavs won at least 50 games and have homecourt advantage in round 1 so they meet the baseline requirements of a championship contender. Also, Cleveland has arguably the best offensive backcourt (Mitchell/Garland) and defensive frontcourt (Mobley/Allen). However, it's rare for a team to win a chip without a big wing or big man that can consistently create their own shot at a high enough level (though, I'm confident Mobley will get there). It's also uncommon for a little guard to stand out as the best player on a squad that wins it all. Since 1990, when Isiah did so, Steph is the only one to be an alpha while hoisting the Larry O'B. And he's the greatest PG ever which shows how good someone likely has to be. Anyway, the amount Cleveland relies on 6'1 players to create shots for themselves and others bothers me (a starting backcourt this small also makes them very vulnerable on defense). This is why I think the Knicks will beat them, depending on the health of Randle and Allen, but the Cavs are good enough to win. Regardless, Milwaukee will probably destroy whoever advances.

The 1st sentence of the last paragraph also applies to the Kings (except they won 48 times). One of their issues is a glaring lack of experience. Fox hasn't played in the playoffs. Sabonis has had an early offseason since 2018 and doesn't know what the postseason is like in his prime. Keegan Murray, Monk, Davion Mitchell, and Terrance Davis will also make their playoff debuts. Also, their defensive talent is weak, even if Mitchell was 6'6 instead of 6'2. I can't remember a championship team smelling this much on that side of the ball. 0 rim protection can be found on this squad. However, there isn't a defense in history that wouldn't sweat a ton at the thought of slowing down Sacramento. In fact, the only team that reached 120 points per game since the 80s is the '21 Bucks who won a title. De'Aaron kills his opposition in the clutch with mid range j's and if Jokic didn't exist, we would talk about how Domantas is arguably the greatest passing big man ever. Unfortunately for Sacramento, I see their cons outweighing their pros vs the Warriors.