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The Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) and the Charlotte Hornets (27-55) Hornets squared off for the 82nd and final NBA regular season game on Sunday. Each team rested a majority, if not all their starters, but the visiting Hornets grabbed one more victory, 106-95, after dropping four in a row.
Both teams did not have much to play for as Cleveland clinched home court advantage in their first round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks. Charlotte finished their 2022-23 campaign with the second worst record in the Eastern Conference and third lowest in the NBA.
Michael Jordan was known for making history for all the right reasons but, his career in NBA team ownership has seen him on the wrong side of the coin. The Hornets franchise has not reached postseason play since the 2015-16 campaign when they faced the Miami Heat in an entertaining series that went seven games. They have made two of the three recently instated NBA Play-In Tournaments but have failed to get out of mediocrity as of late.
For Cleveland, they break through with their first playoff appearance since 2017-18. This rendition of the Cavaliers is looking to shed the mold that this franchise is more than LeBron James dominance. The young core of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, have helped turn this franchise around and look to make some serious noise starting next weekend at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The development of Isaac Okoro also makes this team more intriguing. The defense and athleticism were always there but his shooting has drastically improved during the back half of this season. He finished shooting nearly 50% from the floor and a respectable 36% from three. In one of the best moments for the Cavaliers this year, he knocked down a corner three with just seconds remaining against the Brooklyn Nets to give Cleveland the win.
Unfortunately he has been sidelined with a bone bruise resulting in knee soreness. He has now missed six straight games and it will certainly bolster the up and down Cavalier bench. Caris LeVert, Ricky Rubio, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and company will need to provide an additional scoring punch to give the top three seeds in the East something extra to think about if they advance past the Knicks.
The NBA playoff schedule has not been released but it looks to be Knicks at Cavaliers in Game 1 on Saturday.
