Why the Cavaliers are the Dark Horse team to win the NBA finals.

Last season ended in about the most difficult way possible for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they were upset by the Knicks in a 4-1 series loss that never really looked close to begin with. The Cavs' embarrassing end to their season highlighted some key issues that needed to be remedied if they were going to improve their record in the 23/24 season, something that Coach Bickerstaff achieved every year he has been in charge. And although the 23/24 season has not started great, with the Cavs having a 3-4 record, I believe there is reason to hope for a possible championship in Cleveland.

The first reason for this new hope is the improvements made on the wing that will help the Cavs on both sides of the ball. The main takeaway from the Cavs' playoff series loss was that they were just flat out bad on the wing. Cedi Osman and Danny Green provided decent offense, but were cones on defense. Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens were defensive dogs, but could not hit water if they fell out of a boat. The Cavs invested heavily in fixing this issue in the offseason, giving Max Strus 62 million dollars over 4 years, Georges Niang 25 million over 3 years, and using their 49th overall pick on Emoni Bates. These three players can all help the Cavs on the wing on both sides of the ball. Niang and Strus are career 40% and 37% 3-point shooters, respectively, who are also capable of playing solid defense. As for Bates, he has the potential to be the steal of the draft as a late second-round pick, reminding me of Michael "never swing the rock" Porter Jr. with his aggressive attitude on offense.

Another important reason to consider the Cavs as NBA championship dark horses is the MVP-caliber play of Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell had an outstanding first season in the Land, averaging 28 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists. This was all done on incredibly efficient shooting splits (48%/39%/87%), very close to the coveted 50-40-90 club. Mitchell's play earned him an All-NBA second team selection and the 6th most votes for league MVP. Mitchell has started this season just as hot as he ended last season. He currently leads the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 points per contest, and his shooting splits are even closer to the 50-40-90 mark as he is currently (54%/40%/89%). If Mitchell can stay healthy and maintain this extremely high level of play, there are not many others I would rather have lead my team when May comes around.

The final reason I have for the Cavs being the dark horse team in the NBA is who else is there? This season, the Western Conference is so strong from top to bottom that realistic dark horse teams are the Kings and Warriors, who both should not surprise people if they make deep runs. Therefore, this year's dark horse has to come out of the East. The automatic exclusions from dark horse candidates are the Bucks and Celtics, as they are both among the favorites to win it all. This leaves a second tier, including the Cavs, Knicks, Heat, and 76ers. The 76ers simply don't have the supporting cast to help an injury-prone Embiid claim his first title due to the departure of James Harden. The Miami Heat are defending Eastern Conference champions, but were the losers of the offseason. This summer saw them miss out on a pair of all-star guards in Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. They also lost key playoff pieces such as Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, along with culture piece Udonis Haslem. And lastly, the Knicks... The Knicks' marquee addition of Donte DiVincenzo, who averaged a whopping 9.1 points for his career, is not nearly enough to make up for the play of Julius "The Spin" Randle. Randle, the Knicks superstar, is currently averaging 15 points on 29% shooting from the field, 25% from 3, and 67% from the line. This flat-out abysmal play is sure to torpedo the Knicks' playoff run.

With the competition in the East setting an extremely low bar, the MVP play of Donovan Mitchell, and the improvements made on the wing, fans should not be surprised when the Cavs go on a run this spring.