The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to punch tickets in the second round after completing a ruthless 4-0 sweep for the Miami Heat.
The 138-83 victory that closely guided their series – an astounding 55-point dismantling – firmly established them as legitimate candidates.
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith placed the Cavaliers as the East’s top team, citing an inclusive roster structure rather than their first round advantage.
Smith believes the Cleveland Cavaliers own the most complete team at the conference and are with players who are collectively superior on both ends of the floor.
“If you look at Cleveland, all they have is Donovan Mitchell, the acquisition of Deandre Hunter Key,” Smith explained.
“And you looked at Jarrett Allen, then (Evan) Mobley and they got sizes, they got athleticism, they got rebounders, they got defenders.”
This balanced offense was fully exhibited throughout the demolition of Miami, with multiple players stepping up in different games and maintaining a choking defensive presence led by Player of the Year of the Year.
Beyond their talent and versatility, Smith highlighted another key factor working in Cleveland’s favor: clean health bills compared to their major competitors.
“And they (the Cavaliers star) all have Boston, where Jaylen Brown and Jule Holiday, both have a bit of injuries and do a few things, so we got Cleveland number one,” Smith reasoned.
Widely considered a pre-season favorite, the Celtics deal with injuries that have major players injured.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks lost star point guard Damian Lillard in the remaining playoffs, effectively removing another potential obstacle from Cleveland’s path.
This marks a dramatic comeback from last season when the Cavaliers fell to the Celtics in the conference semi-finals.
With the playoff brackets potentially differentiating these teams until the final of the conference, Cleveland has the opportunity to build momentum and prove Smith’s bold predictions correctly.