The defending NBA Champions will begin the 2016-17 season as the No. 1 team in our first Power Rankings of the season. How can you blame us? This is a team that overcame a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit against the best regular season team that I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
Sure, you can make the argument that the Cavs might’ve not even won the championship if Stephen Curry wasn’t injured. But, there’s really no way of knowing that.
With the best player (still) in the world, the Cavs appear to be in a good spot to make a return to the NBA Finals in order to defend their crown. That’s, of course, if this team can figure out a way to get J.R. Smith signed.
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Whether you want to believe it or not, the Cavs are going to need Smith this season.