[jjgold]

Because they will walk through the east.

They competed vs golden st last year in the finals and won 2 games with no love or Irving.

So why wouldn't people take them seriously? They are sleep walking through the regular season while golden st is going all out trying to set the record. Golden st should win, but wouldn't surprise me if Cleveland gave them a fight. Also wouldn't surprise me to see Spurs come out of the west. No team in the east goes more then 6 games vs Cleveland

Nobody walking through Indy, Atl and Heat

[t-wizzle]

Irving is a 20 point a game scorer, Lowry 21 a game, Lowry averages 6.5 assists a game, Irving 4.5

Doesn't matter. Irving is coming off a broken kneecap. Took him a little while to get going. Lowry is having a career year but he's still not a better player than Irving. I like Lowry though.

[rake922]

Nobody mentioning the impact the refs have on playoff games is alarming....
They can give a small advantage to Team A.... then give a small disadvantage to Team B


King James deserves respect and typically gets respects if it means his team reaching the NBA finals.....
OP thinks refs aren't gonna help his team out and help out THE TORONTO RAPTORS instead

#somepeopleforgettheplayoffs

[ki dice]

This is what makes me think,the east is a joke so basically they have to play 1 series against Spurs or Gst.Not that the cavs are good it's just that the other teams in the east have no chance

[jjgold]

Cleve is not good

No idea what you guys watch

Hood on Utah would be cavs second best player

[cwnotorious]

Why do people think they r a championship team? Hmmmmmmmmmm Lebron james mabe? Dude has taken lesser teams to the final beating better teams in the east than now.

[dlunc3]

Nobody walking through Indy, Atl and Heat

No team will take Cleveland past 6 games

[dlunc3]

Cleve is not good

No idea what you guys watch

Hood on Utah would be cavs second best player

You put too much stock into the preseason aka regular season

[stevenash]

you must notta seen JR go off on sunday huh

You can't just cherry pick one game, you can do that with any player in any sport.
One game does not define a career, bottom line is Smith averages 13 points a game for 11 seasons, and he's on the down side of an 11 year career.

Bottom line is Smith is an ancillary player, for 11 seasons he averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
I mean, what does he do besides score? Doesn't rebound, doesn't dish, can't block shots, back in the day he was a pretty good ball hawk, no more.

He's a poor mans Vinny the Microwave.
One thing JR Smith does do, he can kill you if his mid range / long range shot is on.
(like the other night)

[olamide]

Are there people that actually believe a Lebron James team could be beaten in the east? You guys should just forget the Love and Irving thing, no way James loses a playoff series to those eastern team.

[cwnotorious]

Are there people that actually believe a Lebron James team could be beaten in the east? You guys should just forget the Love and Irving thing, no way James loses a playoff series to those eastern team.

Yes thank you
Lebron took 2 games from golden st in the finals last year ON HIS OWN, are these east teams that much better than last year's Warriors?

[smittyallsports]

Yes thank you
Lebron took 2 games from golden st in the finals last year ON HIS OWN, are these east teams that much better than last year's Warriors?

I thought when cavs won game 2 at golden state in the finals that JR smith went off for 30 or 35 and shot lights out. Then in game 3 mozgov had 28 or 30. Then in game 4 mozgov played little minutes and the cavs got killed and people wondered why they didn't play mozgov that much. The narrative was that Bron absolutely could not do it by himself... And then I look on here about 10 months later and a guy is claiming Bron did all alone... what am I missing?

[CJ]

The irony of goat calling anyone clueless

[KRIT]

Because they have....

[KRIT]

This go hard

[stevenash]

Are there people that actually believe a Lebron James team could be beaten in the east? You guys should just forget the Love and Irving thing, no way James loses a playoff series to those eastern team.

Miami plays a team defense that can suffocate Cleveland.
Whiteside would annihilate Mozgov, obliterate him. Gragic is ten times the better point guard he is now than when he was with Phoenix.
Guards and defense wins in the NBA. Then they have this Bosh and Wade fellas, (maybe you have heard of them)
Hell, defense wins championships in any sport, Broncos, 1986 Giants, 1985 Bears, and on and on and on and on.
KC Royals won last year with defense. You don't play defense you don't win championships.

Toronto has the best 1-2 guard combination with DeRozen and Lowry in the East.

Lebron will never win another championship because the team isn't deep enough, James is getting up there in age, and that thing known as the Western Conference.

And

[stevenash]

The irony of goat calling anyone clueless

I just consider the source, laugh, move on.
He can debate me when he acquires 5th grade reading skills, until then, he's just another Nash hater.

[cwnotorious]

I thought when cavs won game 2 at golden state in the finals that JR smith went off for 30 or 35 and shot lights out. Then in game 3 mozgov had 28 or 30. Then in game 4 mozgov played little minutes and the cavs got killed and people wondered why they didn't play mozgov that much. The narrative was that Bron absolutely could not do it by himself... And then I look on here about 10 months later and a guy is claiming Bron did all alone... what am I missing?

The fact that Mozgov and guys like Dellevadova and J.R. went off speaks even more to my point. How many open looks would any of those guys got without lbj drawing attention. He was able to lift all their games, without lebron that team isnt even in the playoffs. Go and look @ the defense he played on top of his numbers offensively in the playoffs. Guys can hate on bron all they want but his performance in last year's playoff run cannot be ignored. The main question asked in this thread is about why anyone would think the cavs are a championship team. The answer is simple, they have a superstar that has won 2 chips and been in other finals year after year so i would say ya they r a championship caliber team.

[stevenash]

Why do people think they r a championship team? Hmmmmmmmmmm Lebron james mabe? Dude has taken lesser teams to the final beating better teams in the east than now.

What lesser teams?
You talking about the 2006-2007 Cavs?
That was ten years ago and they got swept by SA.
The Miami teams James played on were worlds better than his team now.

You're trying to tell me the 2006-2007 eastern conference was better than than it is now?

Are you tripping on acid man?

Gilbert Arenas led the East in scoring that season.
Without looking it up I bet you couldn't tell me who won the best record in the Eastern Conference that season the Cavs went to the finals, no less name three players on that team.

East was a motherfucking mess ten years ago.

[Manny0825]

We went through this last season. When the cavs started off 19-21. Everyone said they wouldnt make it to the finals. Yada yada. Honestly, who is going to beat them. Lebron has been to 5 straight finals for a reason. He will be at the finals agains. I dont know about winning the whole thing, but he will be there. Lets not forget. They had a bad loss, so what? Golden state lost to the lakers and the bucks. Every team has those games that are like wtf. But it doesnt mean they wont win a championship.

[stevenash]

The answer is simple, they have a superstar that has won 2 chips and been in other finals year after year so i would say ya they r a championship caliber team.

He has two rings and without Ray Allen hitting a miracle heave from the sidelines he has one ring, and without Bosh and Wade he has no rings.

[stevenash]

We went through this last season. When the cavs started off 19-21. Everyone said they wouldnt make it to the finals. Yada yada. Honestly, who is going to beat them. Lebron has been to 5 straight finals for a reason. He will be at the finals agains. I dont know about winning the whole thing, but he will be there. Lets not forget.

He's been to the finals 4 straight times, he's been in five finals, lost 3 of them.

[stevenash]

Nobody walking through Indy, Atl and Heat

Atlanta's back court is softer than jelly.
Korver and Teague are not not a championship back court.

Their front court on the other hand doesn't get enough credit.
Milsap, and Horford are animals.

[Manny0825]

He's been to the finals 4 straight times, he's been in five finals, lost 3 of them.

That is incorrect, he has been to 5 straight finals. 4 with miami and 1 in cleveland when he came back. He lost to dallas, beat okc, beat spurs, lost spurs, lost golden state.

[Manny0825]

He has been to 6 total finals. He had one in cleveland before he left for miami.

[lakerboy]

East has been garbage since James came into the league.

[stevenash]

He has been to 6 total finals. He had one in cleveland before he left for miami.

Went to the reference book, you are correct, I stand corrected, I forgot one, good catch.

Now, I'm not hating on LeBron, he and Larry Bird are the two smartest basketball players I have ever seen, but Like Bird, he has had a lot of help, except for the first final, he did that on his own, you can make a good case for last season too, but his Heat team were stacked. from back court to pivot men, those Heat teams has three future hall of fame players.

[stevenash]

East has been garbage since James came into the league.

Look at the 2006-2007 Eastern Conference, it was the biggest joke ever.

[t-wizzle]

I just consider the source, laugh, move on.
He can debate me when he acquires 5th grade reading skills, until then, he's just another Nash hater.

He knows the game.

[stevenash]

He knows the game.

He's a joke.

[cwnotorious]

What lesser teams?
You talking about the 2006-2007 Cavs?
That was ten years ago and they got swept by SA.
The Miami teams James played on were worlds better than his team now.

You're trying to tell me the 2006-2007 eastern conference was better than than it is now?

Are you tripping on acid man?

Gilbert Arenas led the East in scoring that season.
Without looking it up I bet you couldn't tell me who won the best record in the Eastern Conference that season the Cavs went to the finals, no less name three players on that team.

East was a motherfucking mess ten years ago.

Nasher last year's cavs team was much worse than this year, love went out vs boston early/kyrie was not healthy the whole playoffs and he still took them to the finals vs a tougher east than it is this year. Nash i agree with u about miami having a shot @ beating them in a series but what you are asking is why we think they are a championship team and here is the answer yes. If the east wasnt so weak making their path to so easy then mabe i would say no. But a team that won 2 games in the finals last year and made roster improvements with a superstar who has 2 rings is a championship caliber team.

[stevenash]

Nasher last year's cavs team was much worse than this year, love went out vs boston early/kyrie was not healthy the whole playoffs and he still took them to the finals vs a tougher east than it is this year. Nash i agree with u about miami having a shot @ beating them in a series but what you are asking is why we think they are a championship team and here is the answer yes. If the east wasnt so weak making their path to so easy then mabe i would say no. But a team that won 2 games in the finals last year and made roster improvements with a superstar who has 2 rings is a championship caliber team.

Agreed James was the driving force last season as to why Cleveland went to the finals last season.
This season though I think Miami and Toronto has very real chances of derailing them, more so Miami.

Dragic is worlds better than what he was in Phoenix, if Bosh and Wade are healthy I think the Heat win in six.
Whiteside is a force, he plays center like Lambier did and just as dirty. Plus Whiteside is a shot blocker like no other.
Bosh going down was a blessing in disguise for Miami, gave minutes to Deng and he proved he can play big time minutes in this league.
Joe Johnson was a nice pickup, he'll be big off the bench in the playoffs and Winslow was NBA ready right out of Duke.

I like the Frye pick up for the Cavs, if he can just keep his head on straight.

[t-wizzle]

He's a joke.

You can think that but he understands the game.

[cwnotorious]

Definately think miami has a shot, very small window for wade to be impactfull in another playoff run. i like the way they are built and it wouldnt surprise me if they took out clev besides wade and co. know all of bron's tricks plus u know these guys r extra motivated to stick it to lbj for leaving

[louielouie]

Not one team in the east will win more than 2 games against the Cavs. When the king makes the finals this year his team will be at full health and not missing 2 of their best players. Last year with 2 of their 3 best players they went to 6 games with the favorite to make the finals this year. If that team even makes the finals they will be playing a team at full health with revenge that thinks and knows they can win against them as evidence by them almost beating them last year. This is LeBron and the Cavaliers year so don't be upset once they win it all. They are favored to win the east at large chalk because that is how easy it will be for them to do so.