After they were crowned NBA Champions last June, expectations run high for the Cavs coming into the 2016-2017 season. The team looks to continue the momentum of their historic accomplishment and win a second championship this season. One team stands in the way, however.
To win the championship, the Cavs came back from a 1-3 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who won the most regular season games in NBA history, seemed poised to capture their second straight NBA Championship. However, they blew a 3-1 lead thanks to a star-studded Cavs team led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. James led both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, an NBA first.
The nucleus of the team remains intact this year, as just a few roster moves have been made. When asked about how the Cavs are going to do this season, senior Jordan Williams responded confidently, “They’re going to win it all again this year. The only team that can stop the Cavs is themselves.”
One position that changed in the offseason was point guard. While the Cavs still have superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, they lost his two backups. Matthew Dellavedova signed a multi-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Mo Williams decided to retire. The Cavs compensated by drafting Kay Felder, a 5’9” point guard from Oakland University in Michigan whom Jordan Williams thinks “will be a good backup once he gets more experience.”

In addition, Cavs management made a change at center. They  lost Timofey Mozgov to the Lakers during free agency and signed Chris “Birdman” Anderson. Kamari Spencer (’17) believes the loss of Timofey Mozgov marks the biggest loss that the Cavs endured during the offseason. A trade with the Chicago Bulls for Mike Dunleavy and the addition of guard Toney Douglas were the only other moves made by the team during the offseason. Kamari thinks Mike Dunleavy was the biggest addition to the team because he “is a veteran that will give LeBron a break to help him be fully rested for the Finals.”

On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors made a huge addition to an already stacked team. The signing of yet another MVP caliber player named Kevin Durant has led many people to believe that the Warriors will reach the NBA Finals once again and will face the Cavs for the third year in a row.  A potential rematch between the last two NBA champions led Kamari to remark, “It would be a major upset if the Cavs and Warriors aren’t in the Finals again.”

With almost all of the familiar faces returning, the Cavs are poised for another deep playoff run and hopefully another championship. They are expected to win the Eastern Conference for the third year in a row but, surprisingly, are not favored to win the championship thanks to the one team mentioned earlier.