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Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Reasons They’re The Current Title Favorites

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 27, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) goes to the basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) goes to the basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Mar 3, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) waits for the game to resume in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers won 135-130. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

1. They Have A LeBron James

Remember in The Avengers when Loki tells Tony Stark that he has an army and Iron Man simply responds, “We have a Hulk”? That’s LeBron James in this equation. We saw it last year when he brought the Cavs back from the brink against the most successful regular season team in NBA history, and no one should be surprised to see it again in 2017.

The odds aren’t in his favor, since the Warriors added another former MVP in Kevin Durant. If he’s healthy, Warriors vs. Cavs Part 3 is going to be 100 percent LIT. There’s a chance the King could lose his fifth Finals series.

But considering LeBron’s 18-5 record against KD in head-to-head matchups (including playoffs), his indomitable will in downing a 73-win team last year and the way he always rises to the occasion on the game’s biggest stage, the pressure is still on the Warriors.

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In last year’s Finals, he elevated his game to an otherworldly 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from downtown. In the final three games, he put up a 41-16-7-3-3 stat line, a 41-11-8-4-3 line and a 27-11-11 triple-double to close it out. Can Kevin Durant stop a man on a mission like that, healthy or otherwise?

So far this season, the Cavs have split their season series with Golden State — a narrow comeback win on Christmas Day and a 35-point blowout loss in mid-January. But let’s not forget the Dubs thumped Cleveland by 34 in January the year before and everyone thought they were invincible. That didn’t quite pan out.

In the East, the Cavs sport a 7-1 record against Boston, Washington and Toronto, so even though a couple of those games were close, they still have that conference in the palm of their hands. Even the Raptors, who added Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in win-now moves at the deadline, will have to hope Kyle Lowry can quickly recover from his current wrist injury to be a legitimate threat.

Next: Warriors' 5 Keys To Surviving Kevin Durant's Injury

Cleveland lost its lone matchup against San Antonio, but no matter which team comes out of the West, when you bear in mind this team’s improved bench depth, its three-point potency, Kevin Durant’s injury and LeBron still being at the apex of his powers, the Cavaliers should still be seen as the NBA’s title favorites in 2017.

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