Predictions
The Cleveland Cavaliers are still the best team in the Eastern Conference, there’s not much debate about that. The next question on the table is: Do they have enough firepower to keep up with the Warriors?
In their losses in last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavaliers were outscored by an average margin of 12.5 points. Games 1 and 2 weren’t even close, but the Cavaliers kept things close in Games 3 and 5. They won Game 4 behind 94 combined points from James, Irving and Love, but the dynamic is sure to change if both teams face each other again in the NBA Finals.
A few teams stand in the way of the Cavaliers’ complete domination of the East in the form of the Celtics and also the Washington Wizards, but a few minor tweaks have this current Cleveland roster looking like its best in years.
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Combine that with the fact J.R. Smith is coming off his worst shooting performance since the 2011-12 season, this Cleveland team could very well go for a 60-win season while overtaking the top spot in the Eastern Conference. In a perfect world, the Cavaliers go 61-21 while overtaking Golden State and bringing another NBA title to the city of Cleveland. It should be one exciting season either way.