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Cleveland is coming off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, and two consecutive Finals appearances.
LeBron James, their star player and leader, has appeared in six straight NBA Finals.
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With the jubilation and excitement following their first championship in 56 years, one has to wonder whether the Cavs will have the same drive and motivation that elevated them past a historical Golden State Warriors team.
With winning a championship in any sport comes a massive celebration, which in most occasions leads to a let-down in the following season.
Cleveland, though, have developed such a great culture and environment since the return of LeBron James in the 2014 off-season. It is unlikely for them to be satisfied. LeBron said himself, “I owe it to myself to be great.”
Basketball wise, the Cavaliers team has only lost Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova from a season ago, players who struggled for minutes throughout the playoffs.
Despite rumours of Cleveland going after star players in DeMarcus Cousins and Russell Westbrook via trade, which is highly unlikely, it seems that Cleveland are going to bring back the same rotation of Kyrie Irving, JR Smith, James, Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, and Richard Jefferson, with the addition of deadly perimeter shooter Mike Dunleavy, and ‘Birdman’, 38-year old big Chris Andersen.
On top of this, the Cavs gained an extremely valuable piece late in the second round of the 2016 draft, picking the 5 ft 9 inch Kay Felder. Felder is a proven scorer who amazed crowds at the NBA Summer League with his ability to beat players off the dribble and score in the paint. Of course, such a stature player rarely leads to a long career simply due to defensive issues, but Felder will get his chance.
Jordan McRae, another fringe Cavalier, played well enough to offer further hope as a project wing player for the organisation.
The competition Cleveland will be coming up against, especially in the Eastern Conference, is much improved from a season ago. Teams like Boston, Indiana, and Toronto are much improved. The addition of Durant to the Warriors makes Golden State the automatic favourites in any series in the West, and likely in the Finals, making Cleveland the second-favourites for the NBA title in my opinion.
That said, LeBron James can never be counted out, and the shooting-instincts of Kyrie Irving cannot be underestimated. Health and injuries will go a long way to deciding what happens through the regular season and Playoffs.
I believe the Cavaliers will reach the NBA Finals, ultimately falling to Golden State in a tight series, although nothing would surprise me given the resiliency of this team.
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