Every year since LeBron’s homecoming, the Cavaliers flounder for stretches of the regular season, the basketball world raises an eyebrow, but the Cavs cruise to the Finals anyway. (They even managed to win one!) This cycle, however, is speaking less and less to LeBron James’s dominance, and more and more to the Eastern Conference’s incompetence. After another pathetic defensive showing in a 148(!)—124 loss to the Thunder on Saturday, Cleveland is a mess, and the East is out of excuses.
The Cavaliers, as presently constructed, are not a championship team. If Cleveland were to make the Finals, it would be bad for the NBA.