Why Tyronn Lue Believes Cavs Still Are Eastern Conference’s Best Team

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ confidence has not wavered.

Just ask their head coach.

The Cavs entered Monday with a respectable 26-16 record, good for third in the Eastern Conference. But Cleveland’s recent play has been a bit concerning, as the team has dropped eight of its last 11.

The Cavaliers likely still will be one of the top teams in the East come playoff time, but if you ask head coach Tyronn Lue, they’re the team to beat in the conference. Why? Well, it’s hard to argue with his reasoning.

While it’s easy to get caught up in Cleveland’s recent struggles, it’s tough to imagine it won’t make a deep postseason run. Since LeBron James rejoined the team in 2014, the Cavs have struggled in January but managed to coast to the NBA Finals in each of the past three seasons.

It’s still too early to tell if this actually is the end of Cleveland’s run of dominance, but Lue clearly thinks you’d be foolish to believe his team won’t be competing for a championship in June.

The Boston Celtics, however, might have something to say about that.