The Cavaliers lead the Central Division but they find themselves in fourth place in the NBA East. The Raptors and Celtics have first and second place in the conference locked up respectively.
The Cavs, 49-31, are a half-game behind Philadelphia, 49-30, after losing to the 76ers, 132-130, on April 6. The Cavaliers finish by playing the Knicks in Madison Square Garden on April 9 and meet the Knicks again on April 11 at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Sixers host the Dallas Mavericks on April 8, play in Atlanta on April 10 and host the Milwaukee Bucks on April 11 to finish the season.
The Sixers would obviously finish third if they win their final three games, but what happens if both teams finish with the same record? The answer is the Cavaliers will be seeded third.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head. The Cavs and Sixers split their two games. You might think the next tiebreaker would be conference record since the Cavs (Central) and Sixers (Atlantic) play in different divisions, but it isn’t. The Cavaliers need one more win or one Indiana loss to win the Central Division. A division winner wins a tie over a team that doesn’t win its division.
The standings are too bunched up to determine first-round matchups. Notwithstanding their success against Toronto, the advantage to finishing third instead of fourth is theoretically not facing the Raptors until the conference finals.
“You got to go through whoever it is anyway,” Coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after losing to the Sixers. “The best team is going to win their matchup, so play them first round, second round, third round, you still got to get through ’em, so it really doesn’t matter. As long as we’re healthy, find our rhythm, we’ll be fine.”
Point guard George Hill has been out with a sprained ankle. The injury prevented him from playing against the Sixers in Philadelphia.
An Achilles injury forced guard Rodney Hill to leave the game with the Sixers. His status has not been updated.