The Cavs threw last game to manipulate NBA Playoff matchups, and it could haunt them

The Cavs tanking the last game of the season reeks of cowardice and idiocy

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a lot at stake in the final game of the regular season against the lowly Charlotte Hornets. It was possible for the Cavs to climb as high as No. 2 in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a win plus losses from the Bucks and Knicks. Cleveland also knew it would fall to the No. 4 seed with a loss to Charlotte.

The Cavs entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point against the Hornets. That’s when they pulled an all-time tank job to manipulate the matchups in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Cleveland pulled its starters for the final period — save for letting Max Strus play a couple minutes to get a triple-double — instead opting to run its worst lineup possible. With Emoni Bates, Isaiah Mobley, Pete Nance, Damian Jones, and Tristan Thompson on the court, Cleveland only scored 14 fourth quarter points, blowing the lead and losing the game in the process. That’s exactly what they wanted.

The Hornets beat the Cavs, 120-110, to close the regular season. The Cavs earned the No. 4 seed, where they will face the No. 5 seed Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs.

If Cleveland won, it would have earned the No. 3 seed and faced the Indiana Pacers in the first round. If the Bulls beat the Knicks — which was still ongoing as Cleveland’s game ended — the Cavs would have earned the No. 2 seed, thus drawing a matchup with the winner of the 76ers/Heat play-in game.

It would arguably make sense for the Cavs to “tank” the last quarter of the season to avoid Philadelphia or Miami. Tanking to avoid the Pacers ... makes less sense. As they did it, the Cavs also set up a potential second round matchup with the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics, who are the overwhelming favorite in the East.

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game that his team was always going to rest the starters in the fourth quarter to avoid injury. He also said he was aware of what was going on elsewhere around the league.

Could Bickerstaff be telling the truth here? Maybe, but running out terrible lineups and watching the team completely fall apart doesn’t really pass the sniff test. If Cleveland wanted to beat the Hornets, they would have. They chose to lose this game on purpose.

Bickerstaff’s remarks were quickly dismissed by fans online. Everyone could see through Cleveland’s plan: they wanted the Magic instead of the Pacers, and they wanted to avoid any chance of facing the Philly vs. Miami winner. Here’s a sampling of the reaction on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter:

The Cavs were embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs last year by losing to the Knicks in five games. Cleveland badly wants to win a playoff series this year, and that goal clouded their judgement on the last game of the season.

Cleveland could have avoided Boston until the conference finals. It could have had home court advantage in the second round. Instead, the Cavs got so zeroed in on manipulating the standings that they played themselves into a more difficult path. Given that Orlando’s physical style is similar to the last season’s Knicks, it sure looks like Cleveland chose the tougher path in the short-term, too. The Pacers probably would have been a more favorable matchup for the Cavs.

As the Cavs tanked, the Knicks went all out to beat the Bulls in overtime, earn their 50th win of the season, and secure the No. 2 seed. Remember the fourth quarter against the Hornets if Cleveland runs into trouble in the first round vs. Orlando. This was always their choice.