Cleveland Cavaliers Revenge Hopes: Odds of Playing Miami Heat in Playoffs
This offseason was a turbulent one, to say the least, when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers and player movement, and there is nothing the fans would like better than to get revenge on LeBron James and his new Miami Heat team.
What better way to get revenge than having the chance to off them in the playoffs?
Right now, it is looking as if most analysts and pundits were a little off on the predictions for both teams, as the Cavaliers were expected to fall near the bottom of the pack, and the Heat with their star power were expected to be one of the top two teams.
A playoff matchup between the two would not only breed one of the greatest scenarios for revenge in recent history, it would also create an atmosphere unlike no other in the first round of the playoffs.
And if the Cavs were able to pull it off, there is no doubt it would be the closest basketball has come to the Miracle on Ice game when the US Hockey Team upset the Soviet Union 4-3 at Lake Placid in 1980.
However, for any of this to all come to fruition, we have to look at a few things first.
What Is the Highest/Lowest the Heat Can Go?
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Right now, the Miami Heat look like a good team, but they do not look like an elite team. But we must be honest with ourselves, it's only a matter of time before they make the jump up to elite.
With the return of sharpshooter Mike Miller in January, the Heat will be given an invaluable weapon, a guy that thins out the defense just a little more for the ever-penetrating LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Also, their defense is quite strong right now, allowing the fifth fewest points in the NBA.
It seems that their weakest link comes from their current inability to mesh, and the uninventfullness of Erik Spoelstra, as he only uses three main lineups, refusing to experiment with the super-team sitting at his fingertips.
I may be a Cavs fan, and I may want this team to completely fail, but I am not an idiot, as this team is destined for a top three spot.
There is the chance, however, that problems do arise, and their struggles to mesh continue when Miller, a player who will be integral to their lineup, returns, throwing a monkey wrench into the whole thing.
The lowest I could see them fall, and this is if everything turns bad, is fifth in the conference.
My best prediction, however, would be a second or third place finish for the Miami Heat.
How High Can the Cavs Get?
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Now that they are nearly halfway to the 12 wins predicted by Yahoo!'s Kelly Dwyer, (I'll wait for a second while you all send Dwyer e-mails about what an idiot he is...got it? Okay good) it is looking like the Cavs will be able to compete for a playoff spot.
There are some players, namely Boobie Gibson, Manny Harris, Ryan Hollins and Ramon Sessions, who are looking better than we expected, and another guy, Antawn Jamison, who was once thought to be integral to the success of the team, who looks absolutely expendable, giving them the ability to bring in another player if necessary.
In the past three years, an average of 39 wins has been good enough to earn the eighth spot in the East, with the most wins necessary in that time being 41.
For the sixth spot, the most wins has been 46, with the average being just under 43.
Do I think either of these numbers are out of reach for the Cavaliers? No, it seems that they can win games with sheer grit and determination, and if they see a playoff spot on the horizon come January, you can expect this team to get it into gear.
The East may be more top-heavy this season, but there are still only five or six teams fighting for the final three spots, as has been the norm in the past few seasons, so they do have a chance at the playoffs.
I would say sixth is the ultimate highest this team could get, with all the pieces falling into place, with seventh or eighth being more likely.
The David Stern Effect
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If you're not into conspiracy theories, then this one isn't for you, but if you are, then let's go for it.
David Stern is not a dumb man—he knows what sells and knows what gets people watching games.
If, in the final weeks of the season, the Miami Heat are sitting at the top of the league, and the Cavs are sitting somewhere near the final few playoff spots, he will be salivating.
Can you imagine the ratings that a modern day David and Goliath story would get? The merchandise that would be sold? The interest that non-basketball fans would take, regardless of who they're rooting for?
Now, I have never been one to suspect that a game not involving Tim Donaghy is or would be fixed, but it seems like something Stern would be willing to do for something that would be as big as this.
He wouldn't start trying to place them for the matchup early in the season, but if a few games remained, and the Cavs needed a win or two to get into seventh, as the Heat are sitting in second, it wouldn't be surprising to see the free throw differential go in favor of the Cavs in those games.
So, What Are the Odds?
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I hate to speculate this early, but this idea has been stuck in my mind for months, and now that it looks even plausible, I feel it is important.
First, this doesn't seem like something that LeBron James, or his team (I'm talking his team with Maverick Carter, not Dwyane Wade), would want, and they would do everything in their power to avoid it, save tanking games (at least I would hope they wouldn't go that far).
It would be another publicity nightmare for James, as people were just starting to forget about The Decision and gearing up for the playoffs, it would instantly be thrown in his face again.
So, with that said, there does seem to be a chance for this matchup in the playoffs, with Cleveland looking better than expected, and I will leave it at that.
Best First Round Series Ever?
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Just try to imagine for a second how remarkable this series would be.
The scorned Cleveland fans would come out in droves just to cheer on their boys in hopes that they can pull off the seemingly impossible.
Games in Cleveland would have an atmosphere like that of last season's NBA Finals Game 7 between Boston and Los Angeles.
You would have a city that completely hates one player on the court, and therefore everyone he is associated with (save Zydrunas Ilgauskas) pleading for their team to pull off the upset to show him what he walked out on.
Every shot Cleveland makes will have the roof coming off The Q. Every time LeBron touches the ball you would think everyone in the stadium just spotted Hitler and Osama bin Laden punting puppies.
Any basketball fan in any form should want to see this series—I know I do.
