The Cleveland Cavaliers are top of the Eastern Conference with a 53-10 record. Kenny Atkinson has revolutionized the way the team plays and is getting the best out of his entire roster.
As such, Cleveland is viewed as a legitimate threat to the Boston Celtics’ chances of making it back to the NBA Finals this season. According to Charles Barkley, who was speaking via a recent edition of TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA,’ the Cavaliers are heading directly for the NBA Finals.
“Man, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the finals,” Barkley said. “…That’s going to be a great series if they play the Celtics. But right now, I’m telling you, and I told you to book it last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the NBA finals. I did guarantee it.”
Cleveland is currently the best offensive team in the NBA, with a 122.1 offensive rating. They’re also a high level defensive unit, currently ranked seventh in the league with a 111.1 defensive rating. If they can sustain that level of production in the postseason, they will undoubtedly be embarking on an Eastern Conference Finals series against the Celtics.
Bill Simmons Picks Cavaliers Over Celtics
In a March 7 episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Show’ podcast, longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons shared his expectations if the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics do meet in the conference finals. Simmons pinpointed the Cavaliers’ hunger as what could lead them past Joe Mazzulla’s team.
“I do wonder sometimes if hunger is the most underrated noun in sports, and that’s what worries me with Cleveland vs. Boston,” Simmons said. “Boston plays hard, Tatum plays hard every night, the team gives a s—t, but Cleveland hasn’t been there before and every guy on that team when they play the Celtics, it will be the most important 2 weeks of their life.”
Simmons continued.
“The Celtics can’t say the same and there’s that little edge of like Game 7 at home, Donovan Mitchell with like, holy s—t I could actually make the finals, this is my moment right now. The Celtics had that last year. Going back-to-back is really hard. The history of the NBA is this is the single hardest thing you can do in the NBA is winning the second time in a row”
Cavaliers Try To Remain Humble Ahead of Playoffs
During a March 7 postgame news conference following the Cavaliers’ 112-107 win over the Miami Heat, Atkinson praised his team’s humility.
“We’re not a cocky team, but we kind of know [who we are],” Atkinson said. “We’re getting to the point where we show zero kind of trepidation or we don’t rush for the most part, and we get to what we want to get to.”
Despite thier strong regular season performance, the Cavaliers will be under no illusion of the task at hand. The Celtics are a highly experienced postseason roster. They know how to win in the pressure cooker of the playoffs. As such, Cleveland’s humility will be essential in their hopes of making the NBA Finals and competing for a championship.
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