3. Cleveland Cavaliers
How can the No. 4-seeded Eastern Conference team be third overall in these power rankings? By having LeBron Raymone James, that’s how.
Since Kevin Love returned from his hand fracture in mid-March, the Cavs finished the season 10-3, with two of their three losses coming on the road against the Heat and the 76ers. They didn’t routinely rout opponents like Philadelphia did over the past few weeks, but they did pick up a pair of single-digit victories over the Raptors along with wins over the Pelicans, Wizards and Bucks.
The Cavaliers’ loss against Philadelphia on Friday effectively consigned them to the No. 4 seed, but James and Co. don’t appear to be sweating that too much. After a 113-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in early March, James told reporters, “Listen, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m a six seed or a three seed or a two seed, eight seed. If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging.”
Coming from a man with seven straight NBA Finals appearances under his belt, that should have the rest of the Eastern Conference on high alert.
James has won 21 consecutive first-round playoff games, the most of any player since the NBA expanded to a 16-team playoff format in 1984, according to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin. While the Pacers went 3-1 against Cleveland this season, they’re about to be reminded that Playoff LeBron is even more terrifying than the occasionally coasting regular-season version of James.
Considering how much they’ve overhauled their roster this season, the Cavs are more vulnerable this season than they’ve been since James returned in 2014. Until further notice, however, Cleveland remains the favorite to emerge from the Eastern Conference playoff bracket and earn James his eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
Next: 2. Golden State Warriors