Julius Erving Says Cleveland Cavaliers Are NBA Title Favorites

The Golden State Warriors may have set the NBA record with 73 wins this season, but Hall of Famer Julius Erving thinks the team they beat in last year’s NBA Finals is actually the title favorites, per Sam Gardner of Fox Sports:

There’s always this consensus that the better teams are in the West, but Cleveland will be a tough matchup, offensively and defensively, for whoever comes out of the West. Because that’s not the team that played in the regular season. This team right now, they’re on to something that just kind of makes them a force to be reckoned with, and they’d have to be the favorites right now, in my book. …

Currently, how they’re playing, they’re playing better than the Warriors, better than the Spurs, better than Portland and better than Oklahoma City, and better than Miami and better than Toronto. They are playing the best basketball right now.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were 57-25 in the regular season, but they are the only team remaining without a postseason loss. Cleveland swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round and the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, and five of its eight playoff wins have come by double figures.

One reason Cleveland has played at such a high level is its three-point shooting. It made a head-turning 16.8 long-range shots per night through the first eight playoff games and has received critical contributions from a number of players. Erving highlighted the team’s depth beyond just LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love as a main reason he sees it as the favorites.

Erving specifically named Channing Frye, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and Iman …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com