With the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, the Cavs take the court Thursday night against the Pistons in the Motor City to kickstart the back half of the 2021-2022 regular season slate. Currently tied with the Sixers and Bucks for the third best record in the Eastern Conference, the Wine and Golders sit in prime position to go into the postseason with a Top 4 seed if they play their cards right.
After the game against Detroit, the Cavs travel to Washington to play the Bradley Beal-less Wizards on Feb. 26th. The final game of February occurs on Feb. 28th when the Cavs return to the site of All-Star Weekend to host Three-Point Contest winner Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves. The Cavs need to win their three remaining February contests to reach the 7-3 mark I aimed for when looking at their February slate at the beginning of the month.
March begins a tough stretch of basketball for the Wine and Golders. Consisting of 16 games in the month (10 home, six away), the Cavs are going to see a bevy of playoff-bound teams during March Madness season. Out of the 13 opponents the Cavs see in March (not including duplicates), 10 currently would either be playoff teams, or they would be competing in the play-in tournament. As of the All-Star break, Cavs opponents in March have a combined record of 476-463.
On March 2nd the Cavs will play host to the Hornets, a team they have beaten two out of three times this season but Charlotte did win the only meeting at the Fieldhouse back in October. Two nights later, the team returns to Philadelphia to play the Sixers before hosting the Raptors in their only primetime game of the season on Sunday, March 6th. The Raptors bout will tip off at 7:30 and be broadcast on ESPN.
After another contest with the Pacers in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 8th, the Cavs have a tough back-to-back slate on March 11th and 12th. Their opponents? Just the current No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the East in the Heat and Bulls. To make both games even more tough, both will be played away from the friendly confines of Cleveland.
March 14th begins a nice stretch for the Cavs where they will play eight out of their next 10 games at the Fieldhouse to close out the month. The eight games at home include both Los Angeles teams, the Sixers, Nuggets, Magic, Pistons, Mavericks and Bulls. The two road games will feature a trip up north to Toronto and a trip down south to the ATL for a makeup game with the Hawks that was originally scheduled for Dec. 19th but was postponed due to a COVID outbreak on both sides.
April begins with a back-to-back on April 2nd and 3rd. The first night features a trip to Madison Square Garden. The latter half see’s the Cavs battle the Sixers in Cleveland. The matchup with Philly will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in less than 75 days. Considering both teams are currently tied with the Bucks for third in the conference, those games are going to go a long way in determining who gets what seed when it comes time for the postseason.
The regular season will conclude with a game against the Magic in Orlando on April 5th, followed by a matchup with the Nets on the road on April 8th and then the Bucks at home on April 10th. The Cavs have yet to play a fully-loaded Brooklyn team this season, and the Bucks are led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, so both games should have significant stakes when it comes to playoff positioning.
The road to the postseason won’t be easy for the Cavs, but the Cavs have surprised the NBA landscape all season. There’s no reason for the Cavs to be afraid of their tough road ahead. They have to take care of business and ensure they finish the regular season healthy and confident going into the postseason.
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