The Cleveland Cavaliers are 3-0 since acquiring James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers. One of those wins was an impressive road victory against the Denver Nuggets. The other two came against the lowly Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. Skeptics want to see more.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps was one of those disbelievers. On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective, a discussion about the NBA Finals contenders in the Eastern Conference had the analyst discussing why there is still a lot left to prove for the Cavaliers on the whole beyond even just the Harden trade.
"He's definitely an upgrade right now," Bontemps said of Harden. "No disrespect to the 12-2 record over the last 14 games, but there's been a lot of, I would say, subpar opponents in that stretch for the Cavs."
The good news for Cleveland is they will not have to wait long for an opportunity to silence their critics. The upcoming slate of games for the Cavaliers will hand them several matchups that can speak to whether or not this team is legit.
Cavaliers' post-break schedule will be a great measure of their title chances
The Cavaliers' first game after the All-Star break will be on Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets. No one will really care about that matchup as a measuring stick game. However, what immediately follows does offer a lot of intrigue.
The surging Charlotte Hornets, who have won nine of their last 10 games, will be next up on the menu. That will serve as the appetizer to the real test that comes after.
On Feb. 22, the Cavaliers will play the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Last time those two sides met, Cleveland was brutally embarrassed on their homecourt. The Cavs will get their opportunity to show they have improved and learned from that beatdown.
After that? The Cavaliers play the New York Knicks on Feb. 24, the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 25, and the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 27. At least two of those three outings will be of major interest in terms of how the Cavaliers stack up in the Eastern Conference.
With Evan Mobley's return date creeping up, the Cavs should actually get a solid sample of how good they really are. Granted, it takes time for all the pieces to mesh after a major trade. However, Harden has shown immediate willingness to do whatever it takes to make things work. That will hopefully speed up the process just a bit.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers will not be properly judged until the NBA Playoffs arrive. In the short-term, though, this might just be the best opportunity for a more expedited assessment.