Time to check in again on the Cavs' best 5-man units courtesy of cleaningtheglass.com. They are ranked by point differential per 100 possessions excluding garbage time.
1. Mitchell/Strus/LeVert/Wade/Allen +29.9 (114 possessions)
2. Garland/Mitchell/Strus/Wade/Allen +25.0 (112 poss)
[Same lineups except Garland replaces LeVert in #2. But Mitchell, Strus, Wade, and Allen are in both of the two best units]
3. Mitchell/Strus/Okoro/Wade/Allen +20.7 (484 poss).
[There they are again - the same four guys, this time with Okoro instead of Garland or LeVert. Doesn't matter, it's still a killer unit. This is the second most played unit at 484 possessions]
4. Garland/LeVert/Okoro/Niang/Mobley +17.4 (197 poss)
[First lineup without Mitchell, Strus, Wade, and Allen. Still only one big man, however]
5. Porter/Strus/Okoro/Wade/Allen +12.2 (116 poss)
[Same as lineup #3 but with Porter replacing Mitchell. Not as good but still very good. The Strus/Wade/Allen trio is in four of the top five units. Hmmm....]
6. Garland/Strus/Okoro/Mobley/Allen +8.0 (117 poss)
[We're getting into the good but not great area at +8.0. But here is the first unit that includes both big men]
7. Garland/Mitchell/Strus/Mobley/Allen +2.7 (586 poss)
[This is the lineup JBB puts on the floor when he has everybody available - his preferred starting lineup. And they're only +2.7 and ranked 7th. But there's that man Max Strus again. He is included in six of our top seven lineups. This lineup leads the team in possessions at 586]
So what's it going to be in the playoffs assuming Wade gets back and everyone is healthy? Is JBB going to continue to give the most reps to the 7th best unit? Will Dean Wade get a lot more run? His name is in four of the top five units.
It's clear after 73 games that the Cavs are at their best when Mitchell, Strus, Wade, and Allen are on the floor. Will we see that four-man group on the floor at crunch time with either Garland, LeVert, or Okoro? Or will JBB go with one of the Mobley/Allen units that ranks 6th and 7th in point differential?