Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 115-105 home win over the Pacers on Sunday. … 
1. It wasn’t the prettiest of nights, but the Cavs turned it on when they needed to. That can be the case in games like these. You just sort of lollygag through it, knowing that the other team is missing too many key parts and isn’t a playoff team, anyway.
2. So the Cavs did what they needed to do — i.e. play well in the fourth quarter — to win.
3. Donovan Mitchell scored 40 and has scored at least that many in three straight games. That said, the Cavs are 1-2 in those games and didn’t necessarily play great in this one.
4. That’s not a knock on Mitchell, but I do think the ball needs to start moving again a little more. Entering the playoffs, the Cavs don’t want to be viewed as a one-man show, because they’re better than that.
5. Darius Garland scored 20 on 8-of-20 shooting. Evan Mobley had 14 on 7-of-17. Mitchell, Garland and Mobley are basically the Cavs’ Big Three, so it’s hard to nitpick about any of their shot attempts. But again, I think if the Cavs are to win a playoff series, they will need something more from everyone else.
6. Part of that will require several others getting more of an opportunity — and then taking advantage of those opportunities.
7. Caris LeVert sure has done that lately. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 from the field and threw several nifty passes. In the last 10 games, LeVert is averaging 15.6 points and 4.1 assists.
8. I think the Cavs (49-30) will indeed officially lock up the fourth seed in the East and play the Knicks in the first round. Cleveland will have home-court advantage, but that series will be a toss-up. The Cavs are better than the Knicks, but not by much.
9. Mobley and Jarrett Allen just make life so miserable for opponents who want to shoot near the basket, and that’s a major advantage in the playoffs. All other things being equal, the Cavs should get out of the first round based on the rim-protection of those two alone.
10. For the Cavs, the goal should be to win on the road vs. the Magic on Tuesday, officially land the fourth seed, then rest the main guys in the final two games. If not rest them for entire games, certainly for most of them.
11. It’s a mystery to me why the Cavs signed Danny Green and aren’t giving him a chance. Have Ricky Rubio and Cedi Osman really been so good that Green doesn’t deserve a look?
12. No matter, whatever happens the rest of the way isn’t all that significant. It would be great if the Cavs got out of the first round, simply because they’ll be favored. But they are building something really nice and have already proven that. Winning a playoff series would just make a good thing even better.
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I agree with you on not giving Danny Green some minutes so he can get some confidence in his shot going into the playoffs does not make sense.
I am not a fan who is just “happy to be in the playoffs”. To me, those two play-in games last year were the playoffs and we didn’t get it done at home against the Hawks.
Now, we’ve traded our immediate future as far as the draft to get a closer/superstar to get us over the hump. If we have home court in the first round, not advancing will be a failure in my eyes. I think our short sightedness of not aquring a veteran big will be our shortcoming if we do lose. Allen and Mobley do not have a viable back-up to give them some rest. That falls in the lap of Altman. Why did we sign Green and Merrill when it’s so obvious JB does not believe in Lopez to hold down the defense for those guys. Man could we use Javel McGee, Plumlee, Bamba or a Hartenstein right now.
Agree with you & Victor on the Danny Green issue too. They are just not playing with effectiveness. It’s a lot a lazy nonchalant (dare I say it–cavalier) attitude much of the game expecting to do the 4th quarter amazing comeback. That won’t work in these playoffs. Missed free throws-a lot, missed 3pt shots-a lot. Intermittent defense.
And as far as a big, last year they had Markkanen as that 3rd big to rotate out the other two at times. he’s gone and so is his 3pt shot & 7ft presence to hinder the opposition. Yes there has been NO consistent replacement. Right now Levert is trying to do a lot & he IS accomplishing a great deal, but he is ONLY ONE of what the Cavs about 3 players be doing consistently. Lack of a consistent bench is Hugh right now. They ALL need to play on fire like they did the first games when Darius was absent with the eye scratch.