On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers achieved a major milestone, as they clinched a playoff berth for the first time since LeBron James’ departure in 2018 with a 108-91 win over the Houston Rockets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched their first playoff berth since 2018 👏 pic.twitter.com/9bMfYL7eVB
— ESPN (@espn) March 27, 2023
Aside from a brief period in the third quarter, the game was never really in doubt, as the Cavs’ stiff defense kept Houston in check, especially from 3-point range, where it shot just 24.0 percent.
Fans were happy that Cleveland is finally back in the NBA postseason.
Shoutout to the Cavs front office 🫡
— GOAT Level (@LevelGoat) March 27, 2023
We own the east
— Random Cavs/packers fan 47-28 0-0 (@cavslit) March 27, 2023
We’re back
— Alex (@GreatRajsel) March 27, 2023
A few fans took the opportunity to throw shade at James, whose Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and are currently in ninth place in the Western Conference.
This fan also took a shot at another former Cavalier by the name of Kyrie Irving.
Lebron may miss the playoffs, and Kyrie is causing friction again on a new team
— Matt Uebele (@MattRun7) March 27, 2023
The last time the Cavs made the playoffs without James was in 1998 when Shawn Kemp and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were their best players.
This time around, their star is Donovan Mitchell, whom they acquired last summer in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz.
Mitchell was always a very good player in his first five seasons, all of which were with the Jazz, but he has risen to a new level this season by averaging 27.4 points a game and shooting 47.7 percent from the field, both of which are career-highs.
Point guard Darius Garland, who was a first-time All-Star last season, has had another strong season, and after struggling early in the year, Isaac Okoro has been shooting a high percentage over the last two to three months.
Alas, Okoro left Sunday’s game early with left knee soreness.
