What's next for Cavs after NBA Cup elimination?
11/30/2024 02:37 PM
The Atlanta Hawks’ 117-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of collateral damage in NBA Cup play. The Cavs, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and last year’s NBA Cup runners-up, the Indiana Pacers, were all eliminated from group play after the Hawks improved their record to 3-1 and clinched first place in the Eastern Conference’s Group C.
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 23 points off the bench, followed by Trae Young, who had 20 points and 11 assists for Atlanta. Jalen Johnson compiled 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Clint Capela added 13 rebounds, while Dyson Daniels swiped three steals. Cleveland got 29 points from Darius Garland (who shot 5-for-8 on 3s), and Evan Mobley added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 11, shooting 5-for-23, with 11 rebounds and six assists.
With the Cavs now eliminated from NBA Cup contention, it takes some wind out of their sails in their final Group C matchup against the Washington Wizards. Regardless of it being an NBA Cup tilt, the matchup with Washington is now just another regular-season game. Thankfully, fans will still get Myles Garrett bobbleheads for attending the game. So, at least there’s a special prize for the end of Cleveland’s NBA Cup run.
What’s next for the Cavs after their NBA Cup elimination?
But with Cleveland no longer heading to Las Vegas, what’s up next for the Cavs?
While the teams that qualify for the NBA Cup’s Tournament Play will duke it out in Las Vegas, it doesn’t mean that Cleveland will be sitting on their hands, idly watching. Instead, the 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will each play two regular-season games.
The matchups for these games will be determined using a formulaic approach, using the Group Play standings in each conference. Two of the 22 games will be scheduled cross-conference since an odd number of teams in each conference will not advance to the Quarterfinals. These cross-conference games will be scheduled between the bottom-finishing teams in the Group Play stage, subject to travel constraints. No team will play more than one of its two games cross-conference.
The other 20 games will be scheduled within the conference, featuring teams that are otherwise scheduled to play each other three times throughout the season, wherever possible. These losing teams from each conference’s quarterfinals will play each other in a regular-season game on Dec. 12, 13, 15, or 16. The Cavs could have several options based on how the NBA has determined these two semi-randomized regular-season matchups.
After their loss to Atlanta, Cleveland is ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference’s NBA Cup standings. Since the Cavs aren’t in last place, that doesn’t mean they’d have to host or travel to face the Utah Jazz or Sacramento Kings, the bottom two teams of the Western Conference’s NBA Cup standings.
Which two teams could Cleveland face after missing out on a trip to Las Vegas?
With that in mind, here are the teams the Cavs also cannot face since they’re already scheduled to play them four times this season:
- Milwaukee Bucks *
- Detroit Pistons *
- New York Knicks *
- Boston Celtics *
- Chicago Bulls
- Charlotte Hornets
- Toronto Raptors
- Indiana Pacers
*: These teams have not been eliminated from the NBA Cup race.
With that said, here’s who Cleveland could face after missing out on the NBA Cup:
- Orlando Magic
- Miami Heat
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Brooklyn Nets
- Washington Wizards **
**: The Wizards are the worst team in the Eastern Conference NBA Cup standings. They will have to face a Western Conference team.
Last season, the Cavs faced the Magic at home and the Heat on the road after failing to qualify for the then-NBA In-Season tournament. Back then, Cleveland finished as the fifth seed, Orlando was the sixth, and Miami was the ninth. Using the same logic, based on current standings, the ninth-place Cavs are likely to face the 76ers (the tenth seed) on the road before they host the Eastern Conference’s fifth-seeded NBA Cup team like the ninth-seeded Heat experienced last season.
However, that will ultimately hinge on the results between the Magic and Knicks, who wrap up Group Play action for Group A soon. Orlando will likely finish as the fifth seed if New York wins due point differential. However, if the Magic beat the Knicks, Cleveland will take on Miami. The Heat are behind the Knicks and Celtics in point differential and are only scheduled to play the Cavs three times this year.
Based on this, Cleveland will likely face Philadelphia and one of Miami or Orlando. All three would be tough matchups and tests for a Cavs team trying to regain its footing in the Eastern Conference.
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