Apr 14, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (right) talks with referee Josh Tiven (left) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 105-93. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On fan appreciation night at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on a Miami Heat team that will likely be without their Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. And while that will likely take the fun out of the game for fans looking for see James live (and heckle him), this does make the game more winnable for the Cavaliers. But that comes with a double-edged sword. A win means that the Cavaliers will lessen their chances of getting the No. 1 pick, which they currently have a 13.8 percent chance of winning.

Opponent’s Blog: All U Can Heat

Venue: Quicken Loans Arena

Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET

Betting Line: Cavaliers by -1

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100), WFUN (970 AM)

For the Cavaliers, this game is about redeeming themselves after their awful effort in Philadelphia. The loss was so bad that Coach Byron Scott had the entire team come out this morning and work out – even though they are going to be playing a back-to-back and have dealt with a wide variety of injuries this season. It’s clear that Scott thinks that this team was at its weakest on Sunday, and I happen to agree. This team lost to a woeful Sixers team by 14 and it was never once competitive.

I can understand if the players think the season is worthless at this point because of all the losses and the guaranteed lottery pick but that does not excuse the effort put forth yesterday.

Tonight against the Heat, the best player on the opposing team will be Mario Chalmers. He’s a solid NBA point guard – no question about it – but he is by no means a star in the league. He’s at his best playing on a team like the Heat where he can fill a niche and score when called upon. But he’s not a game-changing talent who can carry the franchise. And I guarantee you if the Heat had the option of having Chalmers or Kyrie Irving as their starting point guard, they would choose Irving 100 percent of the time

And so, this is a game the Cavaliers should win. They have the best player (Irving) and a lot of quality players that should be able to at least match the Heat’s reserve starters. Players like Tristan Thompson, C.J. Miles and even Tyler Zeller should have solid nights tonight against his depleted Heat squad. This is one of those games where if the Cavaliers are going to move forward, they need to at least put forth a solid effort.

And this is, as I mentioned above, fan appreciation night. It’s the last home game of the season for a fan base that has had to watch horrendous basketball for months now. There have been injures galore, rumors of the coach’s demise and more. It’s been one of those years that no fan wants to have. At least for tonight, maybe the Cavaliers can show the city that there is hope for next year.

Mar 18, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) dunks beside Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard C.J. Miles (0) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Now on a two-game winning streak, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to make it three in a row against the lords of the Central Division – the Indiana Pacers. Currently the third-place team in the Eastern Conference, Indiana has lost two in a row against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards. As it stands, they are 4.5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets (making their three seed fairly safe), but they are still only 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks with five games left. If they want that seeding, this game is a must win.

Opponent’s Blog: Always Miller Time

Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis

Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET

Betting Line: Pacers by -14 ½

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100), WFUN (970 AM)

For the Cavaliers, they will be left shorthanded tonight, as Luke Walton, C.J. Miles, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson and Dion Waiters are all likely out tonight. Miles, who suffered a concussion in the Cavaliers last game, will be the biggest loss out of that group. With Waiters having missed over a week at this point, Miles has filled in (along with Wayne Ellington) admirably.

With all the injuries, firepower is going to be greatly lacking for the Cavaliers tonight. It was already lacking with Waiters out, but now the sole consistent offensive powerhouse at least somewhat healthy is Kyrie Irving – who is coming off a 3-of-15 shooting night against the Magic. To pull the upset tonight, an unexpected source of offense is going to have to step up. Possibilities include Ellington, Tristan Thompson and Alonzo Gee. One sleeper name to watch out for is Marreese Speights, whose production has fallen off as of late. Coming off the bench and matching up against Tyler Hansbrough could be a good way for Speights to get back on the right track as his likely free agency approaches.

One other player to watch (as always) is center Tyler Zeller. He’ll be matched up with Roy Hibbert tonight and it’s likely not going to be pretty. He’s going to get worked in the paint, but this could be a growth game for him. If he can muster up a solid fight for a few minutes in this game, that will be a positive sign for the young center.

For Indiana, they need to win this game. They have overcome a lot this season with the season-ending injury to Danny Granger and the recent losing streak. But when the dust settles, this is still a formidable team in the Eastern Conference. They have a big piece in the middle in Hibbert, a budding star in Paul George and a lot of solid players like David West. And most importantly, they are a stylistic problem for the mighty Miami Heat due to their inside strength.

This game, in all honesty, is a matchup of two teams going in totally different directions. Indiana is on their way up and into the playoffs, while the Cavaliers are limping their way to the finish. It’s a matchup that means everything to one team, while it means nothing to the other.

Jan 22, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) makes a layup while being fouled by Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

For the third straight game, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be taking on team currently in line to make the playoffs from the Eastern Conference when they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics. With Kyrie Irving likely to play, the Cavaliers will have an advantage at the point guard position – but that’s about it. In all likelihood, this going to be another loss for the Cavaliers in this lost season.

Opponent’s Blog:  Hardwood Houdini

Venue: TD Bank Garden Arena

Tipoff: 7:30 PM ET

Betting Line: Boston by 6 ½

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100), WFUN (970 AM)

For the Cavaliers, as it is every game here on out, it’s about seeing what kind of the play the young talent puts forth. Tonight is going to be a good look for that, as even as they have dealt with several injuries, they have some really good players that are established in the league. At point guard, Avery Bradley is a strong defender who is going get up in Irving’s grill and push him. Paul Pierce will push the wings. Overall, it is going to be interesting to see how the Cavaliers young guys play against the veteran Celtics.

But if the Cavaliers want any hope of winning this game, everything is going to have to click. Players like Wayne Ellington and C.J. Miles (regardless of those who starts) are going to have to hit their shots consistently – especially the three point shot. Alonzo Gee is going to need to get up into Pierce and make him work for his buckets.

Tyler Zeller, in my mind, is incredibly important. At his best, he runs the floor well and scores in transition. At his worst, he’s physically beat up and is a nonfactor because he can’t bang on the inside. Which ever Zeller shows up will be areal indicator of what Cavaliers team will show up in the TD Garden.

For the Celtics, their offensive should be fine tonight. Wings Jeff Green and Pierce are going to get there against a Cavaliers team that isn’t exactly strong on defense from the wing. But where else their points come from is up in the air.

This is a problem they’ll be facing for the rest of the season as they head into the playoffs. And as the seventh seed in the East, a matchup with the New York Knicks looms. Quite honestly, that matchup isn’t a nightmare like a matchup with the Miami Heat would be. The Knicks have had injury troubles as of late and, if the Celtics can get hot, they could win that series. After all, they only need to steal one when they play at Madison Square Garden.

But for tonight, there is not a good way for the Cavaliers to win this game. The Celtics, with all their troubles, are the better team. This game is all about –as I have wrote numerous times – seeing what this Cavaliers is made of and what pieces they can  build around. Tonight is a good as night as any to find out.