The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached the midpoint of the 2024-25 season.
They have done so with a stout 35-6 record, leading the league for nearly every day of the year thus far. They have an elite offense driven by shooting and passing, and a good defense that has risen to the occasion in a number of key games. They have defeated each of the teams that made the "final 8" of the playoffs last season, while simultaneously destroying the weaker teams on their schedule.
Evan Mobley has leveled up into an All-Star player, a hub on offense and a wrecking ball on defense. Darius Garland has had a bounceback year and looks like the star guard he was before his scary jaw injury last season. The bench is fitting perfectly, new head coach Kenny Atkinson is maximizing the roster, and this team is a legitimate title contender.
For as successful as the first half of the season was, there is a lot of work still to be done. There are 41 more games to go until the year is done, and then the ultimate test: the playoffs. Having a successful regular season is nice, but what really matters for this team - and largely how history will remember them - is how they perform in the postseason.
What might happen over the next three months of the regular season? What could the playoffs look like? Let's make some rapid-fire random predictions for how the rest of the season will play out for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prediction No. 1: The Cavaliers finish with 66 wins
The Cavaliers are currently 35-6, which means if they replicate that record over the second half of the season they will finish with a 70-12 record, the third-best mark in the history of the NBA. While that is certainly possible, there are two reasons they will finish with a more modest record -- 31-10 is our prediction.
First, the Cavaliers' schedule is increasing in difficulty. Much of their dominant record was built on the league's easiest schedule, and the past few weeks have featured a number of games against top teams - and that is going to continue to a certain extent.
Cleveland has the 17th-strongest strength of schedule remaining, right in the middle of the pack. That means more games against difficult opponents (they play the next five teams in the standings nine times in total) and fewer games against the very worst teams (only four total games against the five worst teams).
The second reason is that the Cavaliers' stars have been extremely healthy to start the season. Jarrett Allen is yet to miss a game, and Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley have only missed six total games between them.
Few teams are built like Cleveland to weather the absence of any one player, but at some point one of their key players is likely to miss a couple of weeks. If that happens at center, the Cavs are relying on Tristan Thompson or Dean Wade to play significant minutes at the 5. If Mitchell goes down, the identity of the team changes to some extent.
The Cavaliers should continue to be extremely good down the stretch, but they probably will not be as good as their historic start to the year.
Whoops, forgot to be rapid-fire. That starts now:
Prediction No. 2: Cleveland will secure the No. 1 seed
The Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold a 6.5 game lead in the Eastern Conference over the Boston Celtics. The New York Knicks are nine games back. Both teams have struggled in January and the gap has grown even wider over the past few weeks.
The odds of the Celtics catching the Cavs are relatively low, and barring a long-term injury to Mitchell or Mobley the road to the NBA Finals will be running through Cleveland.
Prediction No. 3: Cleveland will have three All-Stars - eventually
The dominance of the Cleveland Cavaliers will lead to coaches wanting to put three players in the All-Star Game, but there will not be consensus among who it should be after Mitchell and Mobley: some will vote for the higher-scoring Garland, some will vote for Jarrett Allen as his competition in the frontcourt is less fierce.
When the reserves are first announced, then, Garland will miss out to Trae Young and Cade Cunningham, while Jarrett Allen will be behind Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam. Someone will miss the game due to injury, however, and Garland will then be named to the team.
Prediction No. 4: Kenny Atkinson will win Coach of the Year
It will not be unanimous, as J.B. Bickerstaff will receive love if the Detroit Pistons make the Top 8 and Mark Daigneault will likely be coaching the team with the best record in the league when all is said and done. In the end, however, Kenny Atkinson will receive the award after leading the Cavaliers to the No. 1 seed in his first season, including a historic 15-0 start and some marquee wins.
No one else on the team will get an individual award, however. Victor Wembanyama will win Defensive Player of the Year, Cade Cunningham will win Most Improved Player of the Year, and De'Andre Hunter will win Sixth Man of the Year.
Prediction No. 5: Evan Mobley will make an All-NBA team - and get paid
Evan Mobley signed a Rose-rule maximum rookie extension prior to this season, which means his contract will go up if he is named MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or makes an All-NBA team.
He is unlikely to get either of the first two awards, but Mobley is right now firmly in the mix to make an All-NBA team. As the season goes on, some of his competition is likely to fall off as well - players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are trending below the 65-game cutoff. That should thin the field and give Mobley a great shot to make his first All-NBA team.
Prediction No. 6: The Cavaliers and Celtics will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals
There are some talented teams and proven superstars competing in the Eastern Conference. The defensive versatility combined with 5-out offense of the New York Knicks will be dangerous. The Orlando Magic have a smothering defense. The Indiana Pacers are playing extremely well recently. Giannis Antetokounmpo should never be counted out.
At the end of the line, however, it will be the Cavaliers and the Celtics facing off in the Eastern Conference Finals. They have been the two best teams in the East all season and both are best equipped to excel in the postseason. The drama in Miami and the disaster in Philadelphia also decreases the chances of an arduous first-round series, increasing the odds of the favorites advancing.
Who will win the NBA Finals? Will Cleveland beat the Celtics? That's a prediction for another article.