Just a handful of teams managed to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.
Notably, the Miami Heat were one of those teams.
Then again, that took place in a game when the Heat had Jimmy Butler and the Cavs lost Evan Mobley early because of an injury.
Even so, and despite winning the regular-season series 2-1, coach Kenny Atkinson knows better than to be overconfident.
When asked about his team’s matchup with the Heat, Atkinson talked about Heat Culture and their playoff tradition, stating that they won’t be an ordinary No. 10 seed:
“In my mind they’re not a 10 seed. They’re an experienced team. They have a lot of vets that know their roles. They have championship players, guys who have won championships and a coach who has won a championship,” Atkinson said following Saturday’s practice. “First round you’re playing the Miami Heat with all their history and tradition, we’re going to improve whether for series down the road, future, all of it, this is going to make all of us better.”
The Heat have one of the best tacticians in the game.
Erik Spoelstra is a master of Xs and Os, and he has plenty of experience in this kind of setting.
They have a long history of pulling upsets and playing their best basketball in the postseason.
Nevertheless, as well as they’ve played in their past couple of games, it’s hard to envision them posing a legitimate threat to the Cavaliers.
Tyler Herro is a legitimate go-to guy, and Bam Adebayo is a bona fide presence down low, but they might not have the strong leadership and talent it takes to get the team deep in the playoffs or even past the first round.
The Cavs have usually struggled against pesky and physical teams, and the Heat will most definitely try to slow the pace of this game.
But barring a shocking turn of events, the Cavs shouldn’t have much trouble beating them, all things considered.
NEXT: Kenny Atkinson Has Honest Admission About City Of Cleveland
