The Cleveland Cavaliers have stayed atop the Eastern Conference almost since the start of the season.
They’ve proven that their hot start wasn’t a fluke, and they continue to have the best record in the league.
There’s still one-third of the regular season left to play.
However, even though a lot can still go right or wrong for Kenny Atkinson’s team, projection models seem to love their chances.
As pointed out by Hoop Central on X, Polymarket Sport currently gives the Cavs an 87% chance of running away with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, with the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, trailing at just 12%.
The Cavs are HEAVILY favored to land the 1 Seed in the East, according to @PolymarketSport
The Celtics are just 5.5 games back. Is 87% too high? pic.twitter.com/8PbNspkUkl
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 18, 2025
Of course, anything can happen in the blink of an eye, and it might be too early to start talking about parades and pennants.
The Cavs currently hold a 5.5-game lead over the Celtics, but they’re about to go through a brutal stretch.
Three of their next five games will be on the road, and four of five will be against playoff-caliber competition.
Notably, that includes their fourth matchup of the season with the Celtics.
Winning that game will be crucial not only to their aspirations of locking up the top seed but also to the team’s morale.
They’ve gone 1-2 against the Celtics, and losing three out of four vs. them won’t be great for their confidence ahead of a potential seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals.
There’s still a long way to go, but given how they’ve played this season, you definitely have to love this team’s chances right now.
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