The Cleveland Cavaliers have a confidence problem.
It’s not that they don’t believe in themselves and what they can do.
Instead, the problem is that most fans don’t think they have what it takes to win a championship because of their last few postseasons.
In a piece for ESPN, Brian Windhorst predicted the Cavaliers will be the best team in the East, but he says that no one has much faith in them.
“The Cavaliers are returning 93% of the minutes from last season’s 64-win team, made two defensive offseason moves (adding Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr.) and saw two major conference rivals lose stars (Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton) to season-ending injuries. But when people refer to the East as ‘wide open’ — a sentiment assuredly going to be heard throughout the next few months — it’s coded language for no confidence in the Cavs. It’s not unreasonable; they have underwhelmed in the playoffs in consecutive seasons, and their core remains largely the same, even if injuries played a role both times. This is reflected in our projections; the Cavs sit at the top, but it’s more a matter of default than demand,” Windhorst wrote.
Again and again, analysts and fans have claimed that the Eastern Conference will be fluid in the upcoming season.
The loss of Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton could open a lane for any team to rise to the top.
This is true, but repeating it is a swipe at the Cavaliers, beacuse they should be the odds-on favorites to go all the way.
After all, they had the best regular-season record in the East last year.
However, they fell apart in the playoffs once again.
That disappointing outcome has affected everyone’s opinion of the Cavs, and people are hesitant to make great predictions about them.
Maybe this will act as inspiration for the Cavaliers, and they will work even harder to prove everyone wrong.
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