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LeBron James said when we re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers that he knew a championship wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t claim to be on the hunt for six, seven, eight titles, as he notoriously did when he arrived in South Beach with the Miami Heat.
NBA Basketball Odds
Odds To Win 2015 Championship: 12/1
Regular Season Record: 56-26
Conference: East
Playoff Seed: 3
***2015 NBA BONUSES***
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James recognized that one championship would mean a lot to his hometown, but he never promised it would happen in 2015.
Then again, as soon as the Cavs brought back LeBron and traded No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, the organization officially went into championship-or-bust mode, whether James wanted to admit it or not.
Why They Can Win It
The Cavaliers don’t have this season’s MVP on their roster.
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That claim goes to the Golden State Warriors, as Stephen Curry has officially been named this NBA’s Most Valuable Player. What they do have, however, is a player in James who was third in MVP voting, and is still widely regarded as the best basketball player on the entire planet.
Need more evidence this group is a championship-caliber squad? Look no further than Kyrie Irving. At just 23 years old, Irving is showing out in his first postseason appearance. He’s proving to be the kind of point guard who can score both inside and out, as his myriad of moves with the ball create space on the perimeter, but also shake defenders to the level that the lanes open up en route to the rim.
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The downside here? And it is a big downside. Kevin Love is likely out for the remainder of the postseason. His separated shoulder required surgery, and early reports are that he’s looking at a minimum of four months when it comes to his recovery.
Here’s the good news for Cavaliers fans. Cleveland is still out East. The Eastern Conference has given NBA fans a decent amount of parity this season, but for the exact opposite reason we saw the same thing out West. In the Western Conference, teams were so good that you just didn’t know which team was favored.
Out East, teams were so bad that you just didn’t know who was favored.
Cleveland’s biggest competition is the Chicago Bulls, who are healthy at the right time. If Cleveland can get past Chicago, there’s no team with enough talent to prevent a championship showing from the Cavaliers.
How They Can Win It
Cleveland has to get past Chicago — that’s obvious. What you might not have expected is for the Bulls to walk into Cleveland and steal Game 1 on the road.
Cleveland is now facing an uphill battle, but it’s one that is far from impossible. Priority No. 1 is containing Jimmy Butler on offense. Surprised it’s not stopping Derrick Rose? Don’t be. The point guard has looked great this postseason, but while he’s become an X-factor for Chicago, it’s Butler who is playing for a max contact and proving he’s a two-way star.
If Cleveland can take Butler out of the action, Chicago lacks the fire power to keep up with the Cavs offensively. J.R. Smith is out one more game due to his suspension, but when he returns, the Bulls will need to be clicking on all cylinders if they stand a chance of outscoring a Cleveland group with offensive weapons.
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Then comes either the Atlanta Hawks or Washington Wizards. With respect to both organizations, neither can defeat these Cavaliers in a seven-game series.
A championship matchup is going to come down to facing the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers or Houston Rockets. The Memphis Grizzlies are still alive, but quite frankly, they don’t stand a chance at taking down the Western Conference favorite Warriors.
If it’s Golden State in the Finals, Cleveland must find a way to contain the backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. If it’s Houston, James Harden and Dwight Howard become the targets. If the Clips make it, you’ve got Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to deal with.
Whichever group Cleveland faces, there’s a dynamic duo waiting on the other side. Luckily for the Cavs, they have a dynamic duo of their own.
LeBron didn’t promise a championship to Cleveland this season, but if all the stars align, the Larry O’Brien Trophy could be coming to The Forest City for the first time in franchise history.
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds.
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