The Cleveland Cavaliers tipped off the season with a 15-game winning streak.
They weathered the storm when it finally seemed like they were due for some regression.
Now, they’ve only lost one game since the De’Andre Hunter trade and the All-Star break.
If that’s not the sign of a championship contender, then we don’t know what is.
That’s why it’s not a surprise to see that Bill Reiter of CBS Sports has them on a very exclusive list.
In his latest column about NBA title tiers, he has the Cavs with the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder right at the top of the list as the only consistent threats right now:
“There are just three teams atop the NBA’s season-long, king-of-the-hill marathon. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder are head and shoulders above everyone else,” Reiter wrote.
It’s worth noting that the Cavs split the season series vs. both of those teams, and while some of the losses weren’t pretty, that shows that they’re more than ready to compete with them in a seven-game series.
It’s also important to note that the Cavs have the best record in the league as a whole, not just in the Eastern Conference.
That means that they’re currently in line to have homecourt advantage all the way through the NBA Finals.
Not many people thought the Cavs would be this good this season, much less be the best team in the NBA.
Some expected them to fall from grace and get ice-cold as quickly as they got red-hot.
Fast forward to today, and with just a handful of games left in the regular season, the doubters have gone radio silent all of a sudden.
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