Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue, in announcing that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson would sit out Monday night’s game against Miami, added that the Cavaliers were in it to win it.
That statement presumably included the top seed. After blowing a 26-point lead in their loss to Atlanta Sunday, the Cavaliers now run a fresh risk of losing the top seed to the Celtics.
The C’s, with a win over Brooklyn Monday night, would clinch the Atlantic Division title and at least the Eastern Conference’s second seed.
But that is the kind of bait that Brad Stevens refuses to take.