-- CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t going to let another team come into Rocket Arena and crash their clinch party.
Even with all-star Donovan Mitchell sidelined, the Cavs took care of business against the Chicago Bulls, clinching the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed after a 135-113 win Tuesday night.
Here’s the top Wine & Gold nuggets from Tuesday evening.
Party On- For the first time since the 2015-2016 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
At 63-16, the Cavaliers have set themselves up well for the postseason, but until then, Kenny Atkinson wants to soak up the clinch.
“I mean I think you celebrate these moments. We’ll talk about what that looks like going forward, but today I think we celebrate,” said Atkinson.
As the top seed in the East, the Cavs will either face the winner of the nine vs. ten seed matchup or the loser of the seven vs. eight seed game. Those teams are still being determined between the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat.
Regardless of who advances to the eighth seed, the Cavaliers have a home-court advantage through their Eastern Conference playoff run as the first seed in the East.
“It’s [home court advantage] is a pretty big deal because we know it’s gonna come down to that, especially against a really good team,” said Atkinson. “I think it’s another thing to celebrate.”
Three Fallin – The Cavaliers shot 50 percent from the three (25-50), after struggling from beyond the arch against the Kings on Sunday, shooting just 26 percent. 9-14 players who saw the floor contributed to the 25 made.
‘Mild’ Mitchell – Even though Mitchell was positive about his ankle after Sunday’s game, it seemed to pose more of a problem than anticipated after he was listed out for Tuesday's game on Monday.
While Kenny Atkinson considered the injury as “mild”, it was enough to warrant caution with the team not wanting to risk further damage with the playoffs on the horizon.
“I think we gotta read this right. What happens tonight depends a lot on what happens going forward, how we deal with this,” Atkinson said before the game.
His status seemed contingent on when and if the team was able to clinch the top seed in the conference. After they did, the head coach was more candid about how he felt about Mitchell’s playing time throughout the rest of the regular season.
“My personal opinion, I'll tell it. I’d rather have him air on the side of caution,” said Atkinson.
He went on to acknowledge they’ll consult with Donovan to see how he’s feeling along with the medical staff. If they decide to keep him sidelined for games for the final three games, he made sure to include there might still be opportunities for Mitchell to remain active in squad scrimmages and other preparation ahead of the playoffs.
The Injured City – Coming into the night, the Cavaliers already ruled Mitchell out with a sprained ankle. Closer to tip-off Craig Porter Jr. was added to the IR with an undisclosed illness. Though the team undoubtedly would miss them, the Cavs still had a lot of depth to work with.
Billy Donovan however had a shorter leash with seven of his guys out. The list started with Cody White, Lonzo Ball, Kevin Huerter, and Tre Jones being listed as out on Monday. As game time approached on Tuesday, Nikola Vecevic and Josh Giddey were added to the already long catalog.
The extensive injury report may more or less play a part in the Bulls back-to-back series with a crucial game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday as they vie for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Starting 5 – With Mitchell out, Atkinson went with Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Jarrett Allen.
Up Next – The Wine and Gold play the next two on the road starting on Thursday against Pacers. Friday brings the second night of the back-to-back to match up with the Knicks.
Sunday brings the regular season finale at home, welcoming the Pacers into Rocket Arena.