The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot to prove in the 2022-23 NBA season.
Because of what they achieved last year, there are a lot of eyes on them and a lot of attention paid to their progress and their dominance in the East.
Some people think the Cavs are ready for the playoffs – even the Finals – and others think they are still very far from that goal.
But the Cavaliers are ready to battle any takers in the new season to prove what they’ve got.
And one of their opponents will be a rival, at least according to the NBA.
NBA Rivalry Week (Jan.24-28,2023)
Rockets vs Cavaliers
(Jan. 26,2023)
Rockets @ Pistons
(Jan. 28,2023)
πΏπΏπΏ pic.twitter.com/rq2gk8URkL— πΏπ€π’ π₯π (@DomRockets) August 18, 2022
The NBA is instituting something called “Rivals Week” in the new season.
As you can imagine, the week will feature games between famous basketball rivalries like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks versus the Phoenix Suns.
The Cavs are getting in on the act, facing off against the Houston Rockets on January 26.
Now, some people say that the Rockets aren’t really a rival to the Cavs because they’re not on their level.
But they do have a few stark similarities.
Houston Versus Cleveland
Both the Rockets and the Cavaliers were seen as youthful and promising teams just a couple of seasons ago.
They both had a ways to go but some people imagined both teams could be disruptors that over-performed and surprised because of their young core.
In the end, it was only the Cavs that did that: they had a strong regular season while the Rockets remained at the bottom of the Western Conference.
They may not be actual, legitimate rivals but they are definitely two teams with rabid fanbases that expect great things.
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