NBA East Preview
In this conference, James’ Cavaliers are still the team to catch.
It’s become an annual tradition: LeBron James enters a season with tons of expectations on his shoulders and challengers coming at him from all sides, then somehow finds his way back to the NBA Finals.
When James was in Miami, getting to the title round was necessary to keep the critics at bay. In Cleveland last season, a trip to the Finals was surprising to many — maybe even James himself.
This year, it seems expected. While plenty of teams think they have a legitimate chance, the Cavaliers look like the unquestioned favorites to represent that side of the league in the NBA Finals.
Yes, they’ll be missing an injured Kyrie Irving for a while longer, just got the Tristan Thompson contract impasse solved and Kevin Love is coming off a horrible shoulder injury. They have questions. But they also have James, who typically has all the answers and is bidding for a seventh Finals trip in his 13 seasons.
The real race might be for No. 2. Miami is getting a healthy Chris Bosh back and improved its bench, Atlanta won 60 games last season and Chicago is still loaded with talent. Toronto, Milwaukee and Washington have reason to think big, Indiana is welcoming back Paul George but lost a fixture in David West, and Boston coach Brad Stevens has been working wonders.
James carried the Cavaliers as far as humanly possible last season — averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists — before Golden State’s depth and unparalleled outside firepower proved too much for the four-time MVP and his sketchy supporting cast. Although the Cavs begin the season as odds-on favorites to defend their Eastern title, James knows there are no givens. “The East has gotten better,” he said.