Darius Garland says Cleveland Cavaliers will be a "scary" proposition for whoever they end up facing in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
The Cavs are 6/4 to make the playoffs and 1/2 to miss out.
Cleveland appeared on course to secure a top six seed and avoid having to navigate their way through the play-in tournament prior to the All-Star break but an 8-15 run in the games since means they will finish between seventh and 10th in the East.
Bucks up next
The Cavs take on Milwaukee Bucks in their final game of the season on Saturday knowing a win would be enough to finish seventh or eighth, while a defeat could see them drop below Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
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If the Cavs finish seventh or eighth, they will get two chances to reach the playoffs and will probably face Brooklyn Nets first. If they finish ninth or 10th, they will have to win twice.
Allen absence felt
Cleveland slipped to a 118-107 defeat at Brooklyn on Friday and have won just two of their last 10 games, while starting center Jarrett Allen has missed the last 17 through injury.
However, Garland is convinced the Cavs can claim one of the two remaining postseason spots in the East regardless of whether or not fellow All-Star Allen is able to return in the play-in event.
"We're scary with him or without him," said Garland when asked about Allen following the defeat to the Nets, via Cleveland.com. "There's a lot of teams that don't want to see us with him or without him. We get him back, great. If we don't, great. We still got basketball games to play."
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