ESPN made their stance on the Cleveland Cavaliers crystal clear

With the most significant portion of free agency having already passed, the time for teams to size themselves up is now. ESPN took the liberty of doing that themselves with a new power rankings list. The Cleveland Cavaliers were near the top, but there was a catch.

ESPN's top 10 started off with three Western Conference juggernauts. The teams included were the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the rising Houston Rockets, and the revamped Denver Nuggets in that order.

The Cavaliers would have their moment in the sun at the fourth spot on the list, sitting above all other teams in the Eastern Conference. They were, however, closely tailed by the New York Knicks at the fifth position. The Orlando Magic would be the last team from the East in the top 10, placing eighth.

The sentiment here is crystal clear. The Cavaliers are being given the benefit of the doubt, holding a razor-thin edge over the Knicks as the top contender in the East. However, ESPN is putting all their early stock into a champion emerging from the Western Conference (again).

Cavaliers' title hopes not as grim as ESPN projects

It is understandable why the media would be a little hesitant to put heavy stock into the Eastern Conference at the moment. Seven of ESPN's top 10 spots being filled by the West speaks directly to the perception around the conference after injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton.

The Cavaliers and the Knicks are the clear frontrunners. However, after the last two teams who represented the East in the NBA Finals suffered critical injuries, the perception is that competition will be for the eventual consolation prize of only being a finalist.

There are a lot of reasons to be high on the three teams firmly slotted in above the Cavaliers.

The Thunder are bringing back their entire championship core and their young players will only be better. The Rockets have made a ton of splashy and savvy moves in the offseason. The Nuggets fixed the biggest thing holding them back, which was Nikola Jokic's supporting cast.

However, one would think the lesson would have been learned from the Indiana Pacers' NBA Finals performance last season. Those who expected a quick final series were immediately treated to a rude awakening.

Similarly, the competitiveness of a team like the Cavaliers should not be discounted. Cleveland was a 64-win group when their core was healthy for the majority of the regular season.

A Darius Garland injury could not have come at a worse time in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Simply hoping for a clean bill of health would be foolish and lacks proper preparation for a team that has struggled with ailments in the past.

Still, it would only take one postseason run where everything clicks to flip an NBA Finals result that is expected to be a formality into a dangerously competitive outing.