Dribbles: Cavs clinch, and now decisions ahead of playoffs await

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 135-113 home hammer job of the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. …

1. As you surely know by now, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs belongs to the Cavaliers. We all sort of knew it would be the case about a week ago. But any sort of sweating about it is now officially over.

2. The game itself resembled little more than a scrimmage. After an uninspiring first quarter, Cleveland went on a Cavalanche. The scrappy Bulls made a run here and there, but honestly, the Cavs were never really worried — even with Donovan Mitchell sitting out to rest his sore ankle.

3. Darius Garland more than made up for Mitchell’s absence, playing a high-energy game that resulted in 28 points and 6-of-10 shooting on 3-pointers. He looked better than he had in weeks. Not that he’s been bad. He was just that good on Tuesday.

4. Then there was Evan Mobley, who controlled the paint, drilled a couple of threes and just seemed overall free and easy. Mobley finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists.

5. Garland and Mobley. Two big reasons the Cavs (63-16) are having a banner season and own home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs.

6. Of course, there are a lot of others in there, too. Ty Jerome (18 points in 22 minutes), De’Andre Hunter (17 points), and Jarrett Allen (12 points, nine boards) are among them. Max Strus, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and Isaac Okoro each added their usual dose of intangibles.

7. The Cavs have three games left — at Indiana on Thursday, at New York on Friday, and vs. the Pacers at Rocket Arena on Sunday in the regular-season finale. They can tie the franchise-best record by winning all three. I get the sense that’s not the priority.

8. Kenny Atkinson, who’s already set all sorts of franchise marks for a first-year coach, suggested that who plays and who rests has yet to be decided.

9. Atkinson told reporters that the coaching staff will meet with president of basketball operations Koby Altman and the players. “We gotta figure it out,” he said of decisions on playing time. “We’re about to have a meeting. There are various options on the table. … We have to really think hard about what we want to do. It kind of will be a collaborative thing and the players are going to be a part of it.”

10. Anyway, the Cavaliers on this night more closely resembled the Cavaliers who put together winning streaks of 15, 12, and 16 games this season. “It was paint touches. It was drive, kicks, swings,” Atkinson said. “We got back to the way we played all year, so that was a really good sign.”

11. The Cavs also shot the ball remarkably well, putting up 50 threes and burying 25 of them. This is something Atkinson wants to see in the playoffs. “We gotta get back to that let-it-fly mentality,” he said.

12. The way to do that and get quality looks is to keep the ball moving. When the Cavs are at their best, there’s no one better in that department. “We could’ve taken this team lightly. We didn’t,” Atkinson said of the undermanned Bulls. “That shows our maturity. I was happy with our activity.”

13. Chicago (36-43) is locked into a play-in spot — but it’s still TBD where, exactly, the Bulls will finish. With three games to go, they’re likely to end up with either the No. 9 or 10 seed. That means they’ll need to win two games to get to the playoffs.

14. But the Cavs? They’ll get about a week off between the end of the regular season and Game 1 of the playoffs at Rocket Arena. Atkinson said he’s not worried about rust. “We’ll have seven days to prepare,” he said. “We can do a lot of things to get ready.”

15. Final word from Garland, to FanDuel Sports Network: “Feels good, especially to win at home. Ya’all just enjoy the ride. We’re gonna be here for a long time.”

• Box Score | Cavs 135, Bulls 113
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