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Cavs Top 3: Cleveland Cavaliers loss to Celtics have fans asking if the Cavs can beat top teams

By Chad Porto

Mar 1, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket while Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket while Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t seem to get past the top teams in the East.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest loss to the Boston Celtics has left fans wondering if this team can actually compete in the East. The Cavs lost to the Celtics 1171-113 on Wednesday night. With the New York Knicks surging in fifth, and the Cavs 1-4 in their last five, the worry is fair. The Cavs are just 6-8 on the year against the top teams in the NBA, both east and west, with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers holding a 6-6 record against the Cavs, while the Denver Nuggets push it to 6-8.

A losing record against the top four teams in the league, combined with a seasonal reputation of giving up massive leads, shotty perimeter defense, and a bad scoring bench, has certainly put the season in focus for many. The most recent Celtics game arguably created the biggest knee-jerk reaction of the season, with many Cavs fans wanting to trade Jarrett Allen.

Allen didn’t have his best game of the year, but to demand the team trade a top-tier defensive player after one bad game is lunacy. Especially when a lot of the Cavs’ woes are due to Darius Garland’s poor perimeter defense when he shares the court with Donovan Mitchell.

Losing Kevin Love didn’t help the team’s morale, clearly, and the Cavs run the risk of falling out of the Top 6 at this rate, and back into the play-in for the second straight season. The Cavs only have a 4.5-game lead on the 6th-place Nets and a 5-game lead on the Miami Heat.

The Nets are all but done this year, but stranger things have happened. If the Cavs keep their losing ways going, they could very easily stumble down the standings.

Related Story. Cavs Top 3: Cavaliers break skid with strong showing against the Raptors. light

Cleveland Cavaliers Top 3 vs. the Boston Celtics

1 Point – Caris LeVert

33 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, +11 BPM

2 Points – Donovan Mitchell

44 minutes, 44 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, -5 BPM

3 Points – Darius Garland

41 minutes, 29 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, +1 BPM

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

  1. Darius Garland – 78 Points
  2. Donovan Mitchell –72 Points
  3. Evan Mobley – 56 points
  4. Jarrett Allen – 45 points
  5. Cedi Osman –  37 points
  6. Caris LeVert – 21 Points
  7. Isaac Okoro & Kevin Love – 20 Points
  8. Raul Neto & Dean Wade – 4 Points
  9. Ricky Rubio – 3 points
  10. Lamar Stevens – 2 Points

3 Cleveland Cavaliers whose futures will be decided over the last 21 games. dark. Next

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