Cavs are officially the best team in the Eastern Conference

The Cavs are the top dogs in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs are the best team in the Eastern Conference, so say we all. Wait, wrong thing. No, this isn’t Battlestar Galactica, but instead, the NBA Power Rankings who are saying such outlandish things. The Cavs? The best team in the Eastern Conference?

Yup, believe it.

Now the season is still young, we’re only 38% through the season, but the 19-12 Cavaliers are currently sitting at the No. 4 spot in this week’s NBA Power Rankings, right behind the Jazz at No. 3, the Suns at No. 2 and the Warriors at No. 1. They cite some impressive stats, like that the Cavs are 14-3 in games that weren’t within five points. The Cavaliers also have the best defense in the league (96.6) and are projected to win more than 50 games (56) this year.

The Cavaliers seem to be a team that’s not only on the rise but is also for real. Personally, I’m holding off until the mid-way point in a season to believe that’s anything is for real. Consistency and endurance usually go hand in hand.

Yet, are the Cavaliers really better than the Nets?

Yes, the Cavs are better than the Nets

If the Cavaliers are for real, and there’s every reason to suspect they are, the Cavaliers are in fact better than the Nets. With or without Kyrie Irvin. So what makes one make such a bold and outlandish claim?

Well, it comes down to the fact that most of the Cavs’ losses this year have come when they were missing significant portions of their roster. There have been games this year where they’ve missed five of their top 10 players, and one-third of their roster as a whole.

So yeah, if you’re the Nets and faced a wounded and mangled Cleveland team; and still barely beat them, it’s fair to say the Cavaliers are probably on par with if not better than the Nets.

The Cavs had their next game against the Hawks postponed but it looks like the Wine and Gold will go for win No. 20 against the Celtics on Wednesday.