Sheamus Dalton
The Cleveland Cavaliers have 3-1 odds to win the 2014-15 NBA Championship according to VegasInsider.com. Those are the best odds out of any NBA team. Pretty impressive for a 35-22 team who is currently fourth in the East as of press time. What’s even more impressive is that the Atlanta Hawks, who have an NBA best 44-12 record as of press time, only have 10-1 odds to win the 2014-15 NBA Championship. Even the Golden State Warriors, who have been electric behind likely NBA MVP Steph Curry, have higher odds than the Cavs to win it all, at 7-2.
I’m not going to go out on a limb and say that I believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the NBA Champions this season. According to Vegas, the odds are good, but I’m still not going to go there. But as of late, the Cavs are starting to show that maybe those odds aren’t really that shocking after all. Cleveland has won 16 of their last 18 games. If we only judge by records, the Cavs are playing like the best team in the league right now. However, I think that there is more to the Cavs than just their recent string of successes that makes them a very serious title contender. Specifically, I see three main reason why no one should count out the Cavs this season.
First, the Cavs have solidified a roster that is capable of winning an NBA Championship. Lebron said it himself. They couldn’t do it with their squad at the beginning of the year, but General Manager David Griffin has made some smart moves and put Cleveland in a good spot. The acquisition of players like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov have filled the holes in the Cavs’ roster, particularly gaping defensive holes. With solid bench players like Tristan Thompson, Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova (alright, maybe describing Dellavedova as solid is a stretch) and “The Big Three” all playing well, the Cavs are a formidable squad going forward.
Second, in order for a team with a talented group of players to make a playoff run, they need one thing: Finals experience. The NBA playoffs can be grueling. I mean, I’ve never played in them, but three seven-game series against the best teams in your conference just to make the Finals sounds tough. The Cavs have players who braved the playoffs and made the Finals. Say what you want about Kendrick Perkins, but he has been in the NBA Finals. Both he and Lebron have. If I could choose any player in the NBA to lead my team in the playoffs, I’d choose Lebron. Experience doesn’t always trump talent, but when you have both, it’s a dangerous combination.
Finally, and most importantly, a Finals appearance would mean so much more to the Cavs and to Cleveland than any other NBA team in any other city. As sappy as other fans may think the CLE faithful were for how emotional they were when Lebron announced his return, just think about how impassioned the city of Cleveland would be if the Cavs won its first professional sports title in more than 40 years. Regardless of their improved roster or Finals experience, they are backed by a city who wants a championship more than anyone else.
The Cavs have 21 more regular season games in just over two months. I think it’s safe to say the Cavs will be in the playoffs, but there are other questions to be answered. Will Lebron stay healthy (please, please, please stay healthy Lebron)? Will the Big Three, specifically Kevin Love, continue to play well together? Can J.R. Smith throw down any more ridiculous alley-oop dunks? All of these questions will be answered as the Cavs close out their season.
However, seeing how much the Cavs changed from October to February, there’s no way to predict what the Cavs will be like by the first series of the NBA playoffs. I plan to sit back, relax, cross my fingers and pray that Lebron will lead the Cavs out in Game One of the NBA Finals.