The Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting pretty atop the Eastern Conference with a 44-10 record at the All-Star Break thanks to a trio of All-Stars in Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Donovan Mitchell, who will represent the team during Sunday night’s festivities and try to bring an All-Star Game MVP back to The Land.
The Cavs’ success so far this season has many believing they can make it to the NBA Finals, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently shared his assessment of this team and warned the rest of the league about who exactly they are dealing with.
During his 5 Good Minutes With Windy segment in a recent appearance for ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst mentioned how many are comparing this Cavaliers team to the Atlanta Hawks teams of the mid-2010s who had four All-Stars but never achieved any sustainable postseason success, adding that “People are always looking for reasons to downplay the Cavs and downplay the (Oklahoma City) Thunder, they don’t want to respect them.”
The NBA caters to big markets more than other sports, so Windhorst is right in the sense that few will fully buy into what the Cavs and Thunder are doing this season until one or both of them can make it to a Finals and win a title with their current cores.
The two teams are tied with a 44-10 record and have the foundations of their respective teams locked in for years, so it’s entirely possible we’ll see a Cavs Vs. Thunder Finals this year or in the near future.
What a win for small-market fans that would be.
NEXT: Stats Show How Donovan Mitchell Has Dominated In All-Star Game
