Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a Top 3 team in the NBA after their 5-1 start?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are being listed in many Top 5 lists following their 5-1 start but are these outlets right?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a heck of a start to their season. The Cavs are 5-1 and only lost their first game in part, due to the injury to Darius Garland. Garland suffered an eye injury and the team had a hard time adapting on the fly to it. With time, practice, and the steady hand of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers have not missed a step without their star point guard.

Part of the reason for their success has been Donovan Mitchell’s performance. He’s had several games of 30+ points and several double-doubles already. Kevin Love and Dean Wade have also had big outings since then, while the young double-trouble pair of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley continues to play well next to one another.

So with things going their way, the Cavs see themselves near the top in several Power Rankings. Both NBA Central and Clutch Points have the Cavs in third and second place respectively. The NBA and ESPN Power Rankings have been revealed yet for this week but it’s fair to assume that the team will be in the top five in each just based on their start.

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a Top 5 team in the NBA?

Right now, only two teams in the East have five wins, the Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and the San Antonio Spurs also have five wins, but the Jazz and Spurs have two losses. The Cavs still only have one.

Of the six teams with five wins to start the season, the Bucks and Suns are the only two teams besides the Cavs who were expected to be playoff contenders. The Jazz, Trailblazers, and Spurs are teams that are too soon to tell if they’re legit, but fans are hopeful.

So are the Cavs a Top 3 team? I would say yes. This team has done all this very early in the season, admittedly, without Garland. Doing all this without the team’s most consistent three-point shooting guard they have is impressive. Doing all this with Mitchell doing a bulk of play-making, all while on the fly, is even more impressive.

The Cavs are a Top 3 team in the NBA and eventually, they’ll get the chance to face off with the Bucks to see who the top squad truly is.