Have the Cavaliers digested the affront of the 2023 season and their dry elimination in the first round against the Knicks? Cleveland in any case has the opportunity to recover, a year later, in fairly similar conditions.
The Cavs once again finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, although they could have gone for third place if they had chosen to play hard at the end of their last match against the Hornets. And they will face them, a new athletic team, adept at slow pace and half-court play, with the Magic.
It's almost a duel of twins that this series offers, between two of the three teams with the Heat to be among the ten least prolific attacks in the league while being in the ten most airtight defenses. However, there is real progress in Orlando, one of the great surprises of the season, and the confirmation of a project which seems to have been born around the duo Paolo Banchero – Franz Wagner. Cleveland, for its part, alternated between the very good and the frankly mediocre, particularly at the end of the season. The confrontation promises to be undecided, before possibly designating the opponent of the ogre Boston in the event of qualification.
PRESENTATION OF THE RIDERS
The holders: D. Garland, D. Mitchell, M. Strus, E. Mobley, J. Allen
The replacements: C. LeVert, E. Bates, I. Okoro, P. Nance, I. Mobley, Marc. Morris, G. Niang, D. Jones, T. Thompson
The absents : T. Jerome, C. Porter Jr (?), S. Merrill (?), D. Wade (?)
The coach: JB Bickerstaff
It hasn't been that frequent this season, but all the leaders should be there for the first round. It remains to be seen in what state, while Donovan Mitchell just starting to regain sensations. With the additions of Max Strus And Georges Niang, the squad partially made up for its shooting deficit, which had contributed to the early elimination against the Knicks. It generally relies on the same strengths, with a solid starting five. And Cleveland can count on a Donovan Mitchell present in the Top 10 of the best points averages in the playoffs in the entire history of the NBA.
The strong point
– A defense that can be stifling. Best “Defensive Rating” in the league last year, Cleveland regressed a little in this area, slipping to 7th place in the league, no doubt largely the fault of the numerous injuries which undermined general stability. This does not prevent the Cavs from being among the NBA references under JB Bickerstaff. Cleveland relies on collective efforts to limit its opponent rather than relying on a single lightning rod to erase teammates' mistakes. Enough to be suffocating in sequences…
The weak point
– The trend. Except the Cavaliers don't look great when they get to the finals. The Ohio franchise has not been running smoothly since the All-Star Game after having had a remarkable start to 2024. The injuries of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley then Donovan Mitchell had freed the Cavs, who produced a faster game, with more outside shooting and ball circulation. These developments have been missing, the defensive intensity with the 23rd “Defensive Rating” only since mid-February. The record of 12 victories for 17 defeats over the period is not encouraging.
PRESENTATION OF MAGIC
The holders: J. Suggs, G. Harris, F. Wagner, P. Banchero, W. Carter Jr
The replacements: M. Fultz, A. Black, C. Anthony, K. Harris, T. Queen, J. Howard, C. Okeke, C. Houstan, J. Ingles, A. Schofield, J. Isaac, G. Bitadze, M. Wagner
The absents : –
The coach: Jamahl Mosley
The Magic roster smells of youth and talent. Above all, Jamahl Mosley will be able to count on a full squad and without any real injuries lying around, a rare luxury at the end of the season. Orlando's five major has the advantage of being quite flexible depending on the opponent and the form of the moment, Gary Harris able to leave its place to Markelle FultzOr Wendell Carter has Jonathan Isaac. If the bench is as long as an arm, the coach seems to be moving towards a nine-player rotation if we are to believe last Sunday's trial run and the great success against the Bucks.
The strong point
– The home assessment. At the Kia Center, the Magic have been formidable this season, with the sixth best record in the NBA against their home crowd (29 wins – 12 losses). At home, Orlando sees almost all of its stats increase, including increased rebound dominance – second best rebound percentage taken – for a team yet in the bottom of the league in terms of the average of missed shots recovered per game. It seems that the Florida public offers a surplus of energy to its players, winners of the Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets and even the Knicks in Orlando.
The weak point
– Inexperience. The Magic's return to the playoffs comes at a price, that of a group unaccustomed to end-of-season games. Joe Ingles (50 career playoff games) and Gary Harris (26 games) are the only two to have more than ten final phase matches. Markelle Fultz had a brief glimpse of it with the Sixers before experiencing, like Jonathan Isaac, a first-round series, in 2020 for Fultz, in 2019 for Isaac. This is very little, especially since if Gary Harris should start, none of these four players is one of the leaders of this formation.
THE KEY TO THE SERIES
– Will the Magic’s attack hold up? The Cavaliers and Magic are very similar teams, with size and reach to prevent opponents from finishing under the rim.
It could therefore be a real trench war, even if Cleveland has better weapons to break the opposing lock, with the duo Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell on the backcourt. The health of the back, whose penetrations open up a lot of things for the Cavs, will be fundamental, as will the ability of the Orlando outsiders to provide support to the Paolo Banchero – Franz Wagner duo outside the racket…
REGULAR SEASON
2-2
December 6: Cleveland –Orlando (121-111)
December 11: Orlando – Cleveland (104-94)
January 22: Orlando – Cleveland (99-126)
February 22: Cleveland – Orlando (109-116)
VERDICT
Cavaliers 4-3. Very smart is the one who can move forward with certainty and confidence before this Cavaliers – Magic. But the emphasis is on experience and individual talent, even more crucial in the final phase, more present on the Cleveland side. Be careful, however, with the mental management of this series, between the recent liabilities of the Cavs and a Magic who arrives without the slightest pressure, facing a Cleveland team which collapsed at the same stage last year.
CALENDAR
Saturday April 20: Cleveland – Orlando (7:00 p.m.)
Monday April 22: Cleveland – Orlando (1h00)
Thursday April 25: Orlando – Cleveland (1h00)
Saturday April 27: Orlando – Cleveland (7:00 p.m.)
Tuesday April 30: Cleveland – Orlando (if necessary)
Friday May 3: Orlando – Cleveland (if necessary)
Sunday May 5: Cleveland – Orlando (if necessary)
