This has been a challenging season for the Cleveland Cavaliers to say the least.
One thing they did was stay healthy and another big thing to note is that they have LeBron James which means they are always going to be the favorites in the east. For the Cleveland Cavaliers it is simple, win the east and then go all out in the finals against any team that comes out of the west.
MUST READ: LeBron James Proves MVP Is About Numbers Not Efficiency
They cannot think about the west. All they can think about is the team in front of them that they have to beat four times.
The postseason is long and that is why the Cavs have been resting players so we will see if that was the way to go.
It worked last year when the Cavs beat the Warriors who were exhausted going into the playoffs after they chased the infamous 72 win season.
This year other teams seeing how good it worked for the Cavs the Warriors rested their players during the season also.
The Cavs didn’t secure the number one seed and they didn’t go for it. They instead rested the big three(Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love). That means if they meet the Celtics in the eastern conference finals the Celtics will have the home court advantage.
This doesn’t seem to bother the Cavs and they seem confident going into their first round match up with the Indiana Pacers.
The Cavs won the season series with the Pacers 3-1 so they have the mental advantage against the Pacers. They should win that series 4-1.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Paul George’s greatness should lead the Pacers to at least one win but they do not have the fire power from three that the Cavs do.
The next match up will be against the Raptors and they will have a tough time with Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry.
The Raptors should be able to win three games because the Cavs a tough time playing defense but the Cavs should be able to figure it out and advance to the eastern conference finals after beating the Raptors 4-3.
In the the eastern conference finals the Cavaliers will face the Celtics and they should be able to beat the Celtics in five games.
The Celtics have developed from being an eighth seed two years ago and facing the Cavs in the first round to now being the number one overall seed in the east, but the reason why it is five games because the Cavaliers fire power is just too much for the Celtics.
Isiah Thomas basically carries the team to new heights. The Celtics are great on defense but with Kyrie and LeBron driving that will force players to crash down and that in turn will leave shooters open.
J.R. Smith, Channing Frye, Kyle Korver, and Kevin Love should see open shots just like in the most recent game that these two teams played in. Cavs in five 4-1.
In the finals the Cavs will face the Spurs.
They will face the Spurs because the Spurs have a great player in Kawhi Leonard who will be able to lock up Durant and Lamarcus Aldridge is battle tested. Also the Warriors have no answer for him down low. Ginobli and Parker are part of the Spurs dynasty and their crafty veteran ways will be able to overcome Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. The way the Spurs develop their players will be the determining factor because players like Patty Mills, Dwayne Dedmon, and Jonathan Simmons will be what puts them over the top.
The Warriors spent all their money on four players and that will be their downfall.
The Spurs will fall to the Cavs in six games because this is simply the best all around team that LeBron has been on. LeBron is on a mission and he demanded the team get the pieces he needed.
Must Read: KJG NBA Award Winners
The team is complete. It has shooting, rebounding and star power. During the playoffs every possession will be valued and defense will be heightened so a seventh straight trip to the finals and a second straight finals win seems imminent.
Cavs win finals 4-2.