The Cleveland Cavaliers have not been nearly as good as advertised in the lead-up to 2025-26. However, that is not even the biggest problem when it comes to their championship dreams. A much larger issue would be just how unstoppable the Oklahoma City Thunder have looked.
No one would dispute the fact that this current version of the Cavaliers would not be a match for the Thunder in a playoff series. There would be so many broomsticks out that one would be forgiven for thinking the building hosting Game 4 had been overrun by witches.
What about when the Cavaliers are full healthy again? Can they prove that this early panic has been overblown and become the contender everyone hoped for before the season started?
That is a very real possibility. However, even in the best-case scenario, there is a rising feeling around the league that every other team is simply playing for second place during this current campaign.
Thunder look to be above everyone's level — including the Cavaliers
The 2025-26 Thunder look flat-out ridiculous.
Oklahoma City improved to 24-1 after an unbelievable 138-89 beatdown over the Phoenix Suns in their NBA Cup clash on Wednesday. That victory had historic implications.
The Thunder tied the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best start in NBA history through 25 games. No one needs to be reminded that Warriors team would end up setting a new mark for the best regular season record of all time at 73-9.
Clevelanders actually remember that fact pretty fondly, as they were on the other end of history when LeBron James led the franchise to a long-awaited championship. James, strongly aided by Kyrie Irving, led the first and only 3-1 comeback in the NBA Finals to secure the title.
Five years ago today, LeBron gave us this iconic meme while down 3-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals 😎 pic.twitter.com/9jr4nEUcGu
— ESPN (@espn) June 8, 2021
Could this year's Cavs dream of such an upset?
Well, probably not. No one in Cleveland needs convincing of just how great of a player LeBron is. That is especially true when it comes to the time at which the former Cavs superstar was at the peak of his powers.
It takes a special player to lead that kind of historic comeback. As great as some of the players in Cleveland are today, none of them come even particularly close to the 2016 version of James.
Basketball, and any sport really, does not have a predetermined conclusion at the end of the day. This isn't the WWE. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe the Thunder will truly have any peers in their chase of back-to-back championships.