Reggie Miller went out on a limb and told CBS Sports Radio that there are 8 teams better then the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Western Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold the second place in the Eastern Conference, comfortably, and have the best player in the world, LeBron James. Not only do they have LeBron James, but they have the supporting cast of superstar Point Guard Kyrie Irving, Dominant Stretch Four Kevin Love, and J.R Smith, Iman Shumpert, Kendrick Perkins, and Timofey Mozgov to round off their best players. They have depth, they have size, and once again, they have THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD.
Now with that being said, Reggie Miller still has a point. According to CBS Sports Radio and Reggie Miller:
“They have the best player on the planet in LeBron,” Miller said. “But AGAIN, it’ll be very difficult because a lot of people are not talking about Atlanta, who has the best record in the Eastern Conference right now. They don’t have one true superstar; they have about five guys that are pretty good, but their pretty good makes that superstar because of the way they’re able to move the ball. And they’re well-coached. But to me, with Chicago, it depends on the health of Jimmy Butler and if Derrick Rose even comes back this year because of the knee injury.
“But having said all that, I’m sure it’d be special for LeBron to get to the Eastern Conference Finals and possibly make it to the next step, the NBA Finals. But those teams out West – there’s about eight teams right now that are better than Cleveland. So it’s the Western Conference, and there’s the rest of the guys over in the East.”
Yes at this point in time I would agree that season wise, Golden State, Memphis, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Portland, and Houston may be having better years then the Cleveland Cavaliers, but make no mistake when it comes to the NBA playoffs, and a 7-game series, it is a completely different world out there. One mistake, one flaw, one missed shot, and you could lose the entire series and season.
In my opinion, there are only 4 teams in the NBA (not just the West) that can beat the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the playoffs. This is in order of highest chance to lowest chance:
1. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies have recently been struggling, but pay no mind, the headache
that this strong defensive team can cause for a Cleveland Cavaliers team is ridiculous. With Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph down low, and no one to guard them, the Grizzlies would win this series.
2. San Antonio Spurs
There was a quote that was going around after the NBA championship run the spurs had. “In this time in the league, you need to be either LeBron James or coached by Gregg Popovich to win in this league.” Yes that is true, the well poised offense and defense of the Spurs, and the defense of Kawhi Leonard, PLUS the comparison of inexperience for the Cavaliers, puts the Spurs at the top of the list.
3. Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have been having a blow out year, with Stephen Curry a favorite to be MVP, Klay Thompson turning into a superstar, and Draymond Green becoming a very legitimate candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, the Warriors have all it takes to go past the Cavaliers. Not only that, but they have gotten a lot of experience in the playoffs now, and with Steve Kerr keeping the teams composure, the Warriors could possibly beat the Cavaliers.
4. Atlanta Hawks
The Cleveland Cavaliers are notorious for sometimes not moving the ball around on the offensive end, and remaining static, playing a lot of isolation basketball. Granted, they have all the players and tools to do so, but against some teams it just won’t work. One team that this kind of basketball won’t work on is the Eastern Conference Atlanta Hawks. Although not having much deep playoff experience, the Atlanta Hawks have the composure and attitude to beat the Cavaliers.
