The last time Caris LeVert saw the postseason, he was in the COVID-necessitated bubble trying to carry the Nets to what would’ve been a stunning upset of the Raptors.
Tuesday night, the circumstances were very different: He was back at Barclays Center trying to beat the Nets — not help them — in the play-in tournament, looking to lead the eighth-seeded Cavaliers past the No. 7 Nets and into the main draw of the postseason. But Levert, who scored 12 points and had seven assists, and the Cavaliers fell 115-108 to the Nets and will now have to win on Friday against the Hawks/Hornets winner to earn a berth into the NBA playoffs.
In an ironic twist, the player the Nets dealt LeVert for last season — James Harden — was in Philadelphia, and the player they traded Harden for — Ben Simmons — was on the bench still not ready to make his Nets debut due to a back injury.
Before the trade deadline, the woeful Pacers dealt LeVert to the Cavaliers in exchange for guard Ricky Rubio and draft compensation. In Cleveland, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 19 games, 10 of which were starts.
The Cavaliers’ Caris LeVert, left, drives against the Nets.AP
LeVert helped the Cavaliers reach the play-in tournament, a major surprise for a team that had averaged 20 wins over the previous three seasons. But under coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the young core far surpassed expectations.
“I think he’ll rise to the occasion. When you go back and look at him historically, when the moment calls for it he’s there,” Bickerstaff said. “He provides us a [scoring] punch, another guy who can beat his man and go score the ball, which we all know in playoff and postseason basketball is extremely important. You need guys who can beat their man and create, and Caris has the ability to do that.”
Caris LeVert arrives to the arena before the game against the Nets.NBAE via Getty Images
LeVert is one of only three…