Cavaliers Inching Toward Nightmare Scenario, and it Must Stop

The Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to have a stranglehold on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference earlier in March. They even put together a 16-game winning streak as they began to establish themselves as fearsome championship contenders.

However, since then, the Cavaliers have endured a rough stretch, as they have gone just 4-5 over their last nine games. Over that time, Cleveland's once seemingly insurmountable lead over the Boston Celtics for the top seed has shrunk to four games.

Now, it would still take a collapse of epic proportions for the Cavs to lose their grip on the No. 1 spot. They only have seven games remaining, so they would have to continue their brutal stretch in order to surrender homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But based on the way the Cavaliers have been playing (and the way the Celtics have been playing), it's not out of the realm of possibility, and it's a terrifying thought.

The only chance Cleveland has of beating Boston in a seven-game series is to secure homecourt, and even then it will still be a major challenge considering that the Celtics lost just one road playoff game on their way to a title last spring.

If the Cavs fall to No. 2, they could kiss their chances of beating Boston goodbye, especially because it would mean that a colossal momentum shift had occurred.

While the Cavaliers are slumping, the C's have won eight games in a row and have quietly gone 23-4 over their last 27 games. They are surging heading into the playoffs, whereas Cleveland is playing its worst basketball at the worst possible time.

The Cavs will likely be alright. They'll get a nice little break here until April 2, when they face the New York Knicks at home. It's time for the Cavaliers to collect themselves and realize what's at stake here. They absolutely cannot afford to cough up the No. 1 seed after holding it all season long.

Dropping to the second seed would represent a nightmare scenario to the umpteenth degree for an inexperienced Cleveland quad, and it's something the Cavs must avoid at all costs.

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