The Cleveland Cavaliers have had either the best or the second-best record in the NBA from start to finish this season.
They’ve dominated the West and the East alike, and they’ve beaten contenders and struggling teams with ease.
They will have homecourt advantage through the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, plenty of people still have doubts about them, including Kendrick Perkins.
In today’s edition of First Take, the former NBA champion shared his list of the top five championship contenders.
While he did choose the Cavs, he has them at No. 4.
That’s behind the Golden State Warriors and ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unc is going to talk to the ESPN executives & tell them not to give @kendrickperkins another top 5 list topic 😂😂😂
Perks top 5 NBA title contenders:
1. Celtics
2. Thunders
3. Warriors
4. Cavs
5. Clippers@ShannonSharpe @NightcapShow_ pic.twitter.com/yUmgve6v7c— Shay Shay Media (@ShayShayMedia_) April 8, 2025
Of course, it might make sense that the Cavs aren’t No. 1 on the list because the Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA champions and the Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the league.
Then again, the Cavaliers split their season series with both of them.
More than that, the Cavs swept the Warriors this season, and they’ve beaten them four times in a row, dating back to last season.
Granted, the Warriors have plenty of championship experience and one of the greatest players of all time, and they’ve looked much better since they traded for Jimmy Butler.
Still, they’re No. 6 in the Western Conference and haven’t even clinched a spot in the playoffs.
The same goes for the Clippers, who could still fall from No. 5 all the way to the Play-In Tournament.
Hopefully, this will only be more motivation and fuel for this team.
NEXT: Insider Reveals What Cavs Could Have Traded For Luka Doncic
