Are Cavs A Sure Pick To Win The 2017 NBA Championship?

What a difference a few weeks makes. When the NBA regular season came to a close, the Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves in the unfamiliar position of second seed in the Eastern Conference. It was assumed that the NBA champs would easily land on top, but some poor play, as well as some drama surrounding the team saw them fall behind the Boston Celtics. There were a lot of people ready to write them off heading into the postseason, but 8 straight wins in the opening two rounds has everyone back on the bandwagon once again. The Cavaliers have looked good in the playoffs, but they haven’t really been given much of a test so far. The question now is whether they are a sure pick to win their second straight NBA title. Find the latest NBA betting predictions here.

Are Cavs A Sure Pick To Win The 2017 NBA Championship?

 

The LeBron Factor

This is a team that is loaded with talent, but make no mistake about it, this team goes as LeBron does. In the 8 postseason games that the Cavaliers have played to this point, LeBron has been the high scorer in 6 of them. It would appear that the rumors of his decline have been greatly exaggerated. LeBron is once again proving that he is still the best player in the league, but how would this team react if he were to pick up an injury in the next game or two? It can be argued that there is more than enough talent to pick up any slack that may come with a hobbled King James on the court, but we all saw what happened to the Golden State Warriors last season when Steph Curry was playing hurt.

Road Woes

This is a team that has been as close to unbeatable at home as it gets over the past couple of seasons, but the same cannot be said about them when they go on the road. Perhaps the biggest reason why the Cavaliers did not win the Eastern Conference this year was because of their performances away from home. You cannot expect to be crowned a champion when you go a game under .500 during the regular season. Yes, the Cavaliers have won all 4 of their road games to start the playoffs, but with no disrespect to the Pacers and the Raptors, they have not really had a major challenge yet. Winning against those two teams is a whole lot different than going into the TD Garden or Oracle Arena and coming away with victories.

Can They Beat the Golden State Warriors?

Let’s assume for a moment that the Cavaliers oust the Boston Celtics, and that the Warrior can dispense of the San Antonio Spurs. If that happens, we will have the same NBA Final for the third straight year, with this one being the decider. Yes, the Cavaliers beat the Warriors last season, but we need to remember that Stephen Curry was clearly not healthy. Despite that, the Dubs had Cleveland on the brink, and it can be argued that they are even better this season. With all of this said, the answer to the question about whether the Cavs are a sure pick to win it all has to be no.