Preview Cavs opponents: Pacific Division
Cavs news and links for Monday, October 7.
The Cleveland Cavaliers play (preseason) basketball tomorrow.
The first sip
The Pacific Division was the only division last year to have every team make the playoffs or Play-In Tournament. That said, each roster seems like it would’ve been considerably better five or six years ago.
The Los Angeles Clippers lost Paul George which just means they’ll be relying on Kawhi Leonard even more which is dicey. They finished 51-31 last season, but are expected to take a step back this season.
The Phoenix Suns should be more competent this go around. Mike Budenholzer is known for optimizing teams. He will certainly do that in Phoenix. They will also benefit from having a real point guard on the roster in Tyus Jones which will mean Devin Booker can go back to a more comfortable role. Still, they’re an incredibly top-heavy team that is overly reliant on a soon to be 37-year-old Kevin Durant who’s only played 60 or more games once since leaving the Golden State Warriors.
The Los Angeles Lakers are more of a spectacle than they are a serious basketball team. Maybe bringing in LeBron James’s podcast co-host, J.J. Reddick, will help. Even if it does, it won’t be enough to make them a contender. The only intrigue right now is when LeBron and Bronny will make their debut appearance on the court together. Their high-point of the season could come in October or November.
The Sacramento Kings are one of the most overlooked teams right now. They took a step back last season, but retooled this summer by adding DeMar DeRozan. How he fits into their offense will determine whether this move raises their ceiling or not.
The Warriors’ two-timeline approach has officially ended. It’s just Steph Curry and the younger guys they refused to trade. The progression of Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski will determine whether this team can be more than a Play-In contender. It’d also help if Andrew Wiggins looked like the guy he did during their title run again.
How the Cavs played the Pacific Division last season
- Clippers - The Cavs split the series with Los Angles. Their loss came after blowing a 26-point lead on the road.
- Suns - Phoenix swept the season series. Darius Garland’s 30 points weren’t enough to get a win in a game the Cavs led by seven at the half last March. They followed that up with a 21-point road loss the following month.
- Lakers - Cleveland is 3-8 against the Lakers since LeBron left. Only one of those three wins have come in Northeast Ohio. The Cavs were once again swept last season.
- Kings - The Cavs split their two games last season. Each team scored over 130 points in their wins.
- Warriors - Cleveland swept Golden State last season which ended a regular season losing streak dating back to Christmas 2016.
Cavs vs Pacific Division this season
- Home vs. Lakers - Oct. 30
- Home vs. Warriors - Nov. 8
- at Golden State - Dec. 30
- at Los Angeles Lakers - Dec. 31
- Home vs. Suns - Jan. 20
- at Los Angles Clippers - March 18
- at Sacramento - March 19
- at Phoenix - March 21
- Home vs. Clippers - March 30
- Home vs. Kings - April 6
Notable players who have been with the Cavs and a Pacific Division team
- Mo Williams was sent to the Clippers in a trade that brought Cleveland the pick that became Kyrie Irving. Williams played a season and a half with Los Angeles.
- Shaquille O’Neal is known for being a Laker, but he did spend time with the Suns and Cavs as well. He made the All-NBA Third Team in 2008-09 with Phoenix, the season before he would join Cleveland. Shaq started 53 games with the Cavs and averaged 12 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
- Tristan Thompson played 30 games with Sacramento in 2021-22. He started three of those contests and averaged 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
- Mark Price spent nine of his 12 seasons in the league with the Cavs. He played the 1996-97 season with the Warriors where he appeared in 70 games and averaged 11.3 points and 4.9 assists per contest.