The Cavs, Knicks, and Lakers: My Thoughts
Thoughts on Three Contenders
The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks—three teams that I have some thoughts on and three teams that I will be writing about in this blog post. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Cleveland Cavaliers
If you had told me at the start of this season that the Cleveland Cavaliers would have a record of 50-10 and be on a ten-game winning streak at the start of March, I would have told you that you were crazy. Hell, I even wrote a blog post about Donovan Mitchell and how he was wasting his career—and Cleveland's.
Man, was I wrong.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are, without question, the best team in the league right now. Their addition of De'Andre Hunter at the trade deadline was an incredibly underrated move. They are more well-rounded than ever. They no longer need to rely on just one guy—Donovan Mitchell—to get every bucket.
No, instead, they can afford to have their superstar take a step back for a night while guys like Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter put up near-30-point games and blow out their opponent. (This happened yesterday against the Trail Blazers—Ty Jerome had 25 points, De'Andre Hunter had 32, and Donovan didn’t even play.)
To be fair, it’s not like the Portland Trail Blazers are a tough opponent. The Cavs were expected to win that game. But Cleveland becomes even more dangerous when they put up these kinds of wins against top-seeded teams.
Since starting their ten-game winning streak, the Cavs have beaten some very good teams, including:
Minnesota Timberwolves (Won by 21)
New York Knicks (Destroyed them by 37)
Memphis Grizzlies (Won by 6)
Boston Celtics (Came back from 17 down to win by 7)
The Cavs have options. They play team basketball and don’t have to rely on just one player.
The thing is, their winning streak is likely to continue as they don’t face a truly competitive team until March 9th.
Right now, the Cavs are the favorites to win the East, and they could very well do it with ease. The only team that I see giving them a challenge is the Boston Celtics, and even then, I don’t think the Celtics will beat them.
Simply put: Do not be surprised if this team is hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are in a weird spot. Yes, they’ve won three in a row, but before that, they got spanked by the two teams ahead of them in the East—the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks are a fun team to watch, but they do have issues. Yes, Karl-Anthony Towns has been great this season, but his defensive liability reared its ugly head during the Knicks’ brutal loss to the Cavs.
The captain of the Knicks, Jalen Brunson, isn’t much better on defense, either.
The Knicks are a "good vibes" team. They’ve been bad for so long that it’s just fun to see them be good. I think the Knicks are cemented as the #3 team in the East. But if they want to truly compete with Boston and Cleveland, they need to show more.
A week ago, I wrote that the Knicks could win the NBA Finals this June, and looking back, I think I was getting ahead of myself. Ultimately, the Knicks are a good basketball team. They can go toe-to-toe with nearly everyone in the East.
They just happen to be a tier below the mighty Celtics and Cavaliers.
Los Angeles Lakers
Nico Harrison, you are a bloody idiot.
You traded away the second-best player in the world to the Los Angeles Lakers, and now they’re on a six-game winning streak with a huge increase in their title chances.
Nico Harrison, shame on you.
Luka Dončić is starting to return to full form after his injury, and the Lakers’ win streak has been incredibly impressive, especially considering some of the teams they’ve beaten.
The Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets—a team that has the best player in the world and a team I thought would be the top contender out of the West.
But after that statement win, it’s clear—we have a new contender.
Luka and LeBron are exactly what we thought they’d be. LeBron has handed Luka the keys, and Luka hasn’t taken his foot off the gas.
I still think the Nuggets could get the best of the Lakers in a seven-game series, but with every win the Lakers stack up, the more I doubt that take.
It’s been awesome to see the Lakers transform into a deadly team to play against—especially when their roster includes a 40-year-old all-time great who could retire very soon. A LeBron James & Luka Dončić championship would be legendary. It would further cement the greatness of being a Laker and push LeBron James closer to Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate.
Yes, I know I said the Cavs could be the ones lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy this June.
But don’t be shocked if the Purple and Gold raise banner #18.
Final Thoughts
Right now, the Cavs, Lakers, and Knicks are three teams with different paths but one common goal—an NBA Championship.
The Cavs look like the best team in the league. The Lakers have two of the best players in the world. The Knicks are fun and competitive, but still a step behind the elite.
Only one thing is for certain this June.
The NBA playoffs will be very interesting to watch.
