The Cleveland Cavaliers came out of the All-Star break with a difficult challenge laid out in front of them due to a tough schedule.
Since the scheduled hiatus, the Cavaliers have played (and won) four games against current playoff teams, including two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams: the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
While the post-All-Star break is where the Cavaliers struggled last season, this year, Cleveland continues to prove why it’s a true Finals contender.
NBA.com recently released its new power rankings, and after their comeback win against the Celtics last Friday, the Cavaliers jumped three places to retake the title as the NBA’s top team in their rankings.
Analyst John Schuhmann noted that one of the biggest reasons for Cleveland’s ranking had been their phenomenal bench, which De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome have led.
“They’ve had the league’s top-ranked bench by a wide margin since the trade deadline and have outscored their opponents by 15.7 points per 100 possessions in De’Andre Hunter’s 208 minutes on the floor,” Schuhmann wrote.
For reference, the two teams Cleveland jumped were the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cavaliers certainly aren’t concerned with their power ranking during the first week of March.
Cleveland knows that its postseason performance will determine whether this season is a success or not, and Kenny Atkinson recently said that playoff preparation “starts now.”
Still, it is nice to see the Cavs get some recognition for a hard-fought, come-from-behind road victory against the reigning NBA champions and be considered a true threat
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