Potential contenders have a long way to go

podcast, “You just smile when you watch him play. I’ve never seen nobody like him.” It’s worth noting that as the Cavs made their way to the locker room after Game 5 at Oracle Arena, James reportedly told Irving, “We’ll be back, me and you.” More likely, the Cavs will look into trading Kevin Love for Paul George or Jimmy Butler, sacrificing passing and rebounding for more reliable scoring and defense.

Roadblocks to progress: The Cavs have no draft pick, they have very little salary cap space, and they’re faced with an alarming shortage of two-way players. The Warriors set a powerfully high standard there.

Boston: The only other team worth mentioning in the Eastern Conference, and a threat to surpass Cleveland if free agent Gordon Hayward comes aboard. The Celtics also have an interest in Blake Griffin, probably via a sign-and-trade with the Clippers, and Butler. Thanks to clever GM Danny Ainge, this team has plenty of cap space and had acquired this year’s top overall pick and a ton of future first-round selections.

With the draft on Thursday, the Celtics agreed to trade that No. 1 overall pick to the 76ers (who would take Markelle Fultz) for the No. 3 pick ( Josh Jackson?) and future picks. (See story at right.) It appears they are not prepared to trade Isaiah Thomas, and that’s a smart call. San Antonio: The Western Conference finals looked pretty intriguing until Kawhi Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia’s foot. Head coach Gregg Popovich knows he can keep the Spurs intact and make a run at the Warriors, but there remains a significant gap in pure talent. There are issues at point guard with Tony Parker (not the same at age 35, but claiming he wants to play three more years), Patty Mills (unrestricted free agent) and Dejounte Murray (impressive rookie season notwithstanding). All of that goes away if Chris Paul signs on as a free agent, although that would require a major reworking of the team’s roster. Houston: Paul reportedly has an interest here as well, raising the fascinating possibility of him teaming with James Harden in the backcourt. Seems a bit of a long shot, though. As long as the Rockets cast off thousands of three-pointers every night, ignoring many of the things that make Golden State so tough (mid-range shooting,

defense, constant ball movement), they have no chance. Oklahoma City: No wonder Russell Westbrook took too many shots; he didn’t trust his teammates in a crisis, nor did head coach Billy Donovan. Hard to see much changing with the Thunder, who need help in so many ways, and Westbrook will be hardpressed to approach his astounding 2016-17 numbers. They just hope he doesn’t cast an eye toward L.A., as a free agent, a year from now. Portland: Mentioned here because the Blazers have the 15th, 20th and 26th picks in the draft, to go along with highly promising center Jusuf Nurkic (injured during the first-round playoff series against the Warriors) and the sensational backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. At the very least, a team on the rise. Clippers: As noted in Saturday’s 3-Dot Lounge, this team becomes a lot more interesting with Jerry West joining the front office — but only if a major shakeup takes place. Paul, Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and JJ Redick seem a bit tired of each other, and the Warriors don’t consider them any kind of threat. Lakers: Assuming they retain their No. 2 draft slot and wind up with Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox or Jackson, it’s all about the future. Nobody will take the Lakers seriously until they dump the absurd four-year contracts handed to Timofey

Mozgov ($64 million) and Luol Deng ($72 million) by the inept and since dismissed GM Mitch Kupchak. There’s plenty of hope, though. “Let’s not forget that it’s going to take a lot more than one superstar to dethrone the Warriors from the West,” head coach Luke Walton told Bleacher Report. “There’s that fine line in trying to get there quicker rather than developing our own guys,” such as D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram.

Meanwhile, just as the Clippers dream of luring James to L.A. in the summer of 2018, along with looming free agents Westbrook and George, the Lakers are also looking hard in that direction. They need to make it clear to their fans that rejecting West, a pillar of the franchise, was an acceptable decision. Minnesota: There’s no chance a 31-51 team suddenly catapults into the Western Conference finals, but don’t dismiss KarlAnthony Towns, who has the potential to become the league’s best center and just might get there. Young talent abounds on this roster, notably Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. Asked how many more championships the Warriors will win, Towns told reporters, “If I have anything to say about it, hopefully not many.”