Ranking 3 Potential Brooklyn Nets Playoff Opponents by Upset Potential

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Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, Brooklyn Nets, Nic Claxton (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are the fourth seed in the East. With a pretty comfortable gap between them and the third and fifth seeds, the Cavs are likely not going to be the Nets’ first round matchup. However, if the two teams were to run into one another, the matchup would be more interesting than some may think.

Cleveland has one of the best backcourts in the league in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. This duo can give any team problems on any given night, and the Nets would have to be on their A-game to be able to contain the explosive guards. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has a variety of good perimeter defenders at their disposal to throw at the young backcourt.

The front court of the Cavs could also be an interesting matchup for the Nets. With Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the versatility of the two big men is a headache to defend. The Nets could struggle with matchup issues in this series, but head coach Jacque Vaughn could find adjustments that benefit the Nets.

Despite the talent on the Cavs, Brooklyn has played Cleveland well in their previous matchups. At the end of March, the Nets and Cavaliers had a couple of tight games in back-to-backs. Although Brooklyn lost both games, there was only an eight-point difference between the two games.

This matchup is unlikely to happen, but if it did, the NBA could be in for a treat.