Cavs Smooth Sailing to NBA Finals? Rating East Contenders

Feb 24, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward

(23) talks to guard

(2) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Cavs beat the Pistons 102-93. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have NBA Championship aspirations. Such was true before the season started and only escalated following the additions of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. The break that LeBron James took to get his body back in shape seems to have done miracles for the Cavs as well.

Now they are on a roll starting before the All Star break and rolling right on through. With 24 games remaining the Cavs sit only a half a game back of the Chicago Bulls for the third seed and only a game and a half back of the Toronto Raptors for the 2nd seed. The Atlanta Hawks have a big 7.5 game advantage on the field but, much like Tiger Woods in his prime, those teams can feel the Cavs coming.

The Cavs have won 8 of 10 and 17 of 19 overall since the middle of January. During that time the Cavs have beat playoff contenders the LA Clippers (twice), Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trailblazers, Chicago Bulls and Miami heat. Their lone two losses in over a month came to the C.J. Miles led Indiana Pacers (his revenge game) and against the Bulls the day before the All Star break (the Cavs seemed to have packed it in already).

Now the Cavaliers are looking fresh, focused and ready for battle. It begs the question: Is it smooth sailing for the Cavs all the way to the NBA Finals? What seemed like a laughable question a little over a month ago, now seems like a plausible and maybe even likely.

So given what we have seen from the Cleveland Cavaliers over the last month and a half, since this team has been fully together, we will evaluate the other Eastern Conference contenders. We will take a look at their Best Player, Biggest Strength, Biggest Weakness and Chance of Beating the Cavaliers in a playoff series.

Come take a journey with us as we unveil the seas that the Cavs will have to pass through on their way to the NBA Finals. Will it be smooth sailing?

Next: Brooklyn Nets