NBA: 5 Championship contenders being criminally overlooked as threats

Cleveland Cavaliers

After a disappointing finish to last season in which they were “upset” in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the season as pretty much an afterthought in the Eastern Conference. At least to me, that’s somewhat strange since they added depth to their roster with the addition of Max Strus and the fact that they have all the pieces in place to be viewed as a contender to win it all.

The Cavs have a superstar in Donovan Mitchell and two emerging supporting stars in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Assuming the developmental strides continue in those two young players heading into this season, the Cavs are going to be better. There’s a chance they finish as a top 3 seed in the East, yet no one seems to be talking about that.

The Cavs are a team that could completely throw off the dream Eastern Conference Finals matchup that most are hoping for between the Bucks and Celtics. Cleveland is talented enough to make a deep run in the East. The question is, will it all finally come together this season?