NBA fans are wondering if the Cavaliers won in the fourth quarter for the playoff seeding

N.B.A

From Christian Arnold

If the Cavaliers wanted to lose on Sunday on purpose, they didn't seem to hide it one bit.

The Cavaliers lost to the Hornets 120-110 after they gave up almost their entire starting lineup – except for Max Staus – and were limited to their bench at the end of the season finale.

The eight-point lead that Cleveland had entering the final quarter of the game disappeared and the Hornets took control of the lead, resulting in the loss and clinching Cleveland's fourth seed in the playoffs.

Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff's decision sparked much discussion about whether he intentionally slowed down Sunday's game to secure the fourth playoff spot and an easier first-round matchup at the Magic.

The Magic are in the playoffs for the first time in 2020 and only the third time since 2012.

Bickerstaff, for his part, claimed after the game that the Cavaliers' plan from the start was to give the substitutes some time on the court on Sunday.

“We told the guys beforehand that we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to play,” Bickerstaff said. “We had our plan instead of what we wanted to do with our guys. [The starters] I wanted to play those three quarters.”

However, some skeptics felt that the decision was made based on playoff seeding and to avoid potentially having to face the Joel Embiid-led 76ers in the first round.

Thanks to the extension of the Knicks and Bulls, the Cavaliers could have very easily faced the 76ers in the end.

The Knicks ultimately won in OT.

While that decision gave them a first-round win over the Magic, it set up a potential second-round matchup with the Celtics, an Eastern Conference heavyweight.

And potentially risking losing Sunday's game killed the chance of getting the No. 3 seed and a first-round meeting with the Pacers, as well as the chance of avoiding the Celtics all the way to the conference finals, if they beat the Magic at all hit.

“Live time, it’s difficult to get all that information,” Bickerstaff said regarding the other ongoing games and playoff seeding situation. “We were aware that some of that was going on, but when we let our guys sit at the end of the third quarter and they felt like they weren't going to go back in, I didn't want to take any more risks to get them back in the game bring.”

Still, that won't save the Cavs and Bickerstaff from the wrath of some NBA fans.

“The Cavs' deliberate loss in a matchup they prefer better tells you everything you need to know about how they feel about themselves. Pretty embarrassing. Angry,” wrote a user on X.

The NBA playoffs don't begin until April 20, after the play-in tournament to round out the final two spots in the postseason.

It will be the first time the Magic and Cavaliers will face each other in the playoffs since the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals.