The Cleveland Cavaliers are only a game ahead of the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings with just three weeks remaining in the regular season. Are the Cavaliers in trouble or can they hold on to finish the season with the best record in the East?
The Cavaliers had a two-game lead over the Celtics heading into Wednesday. However, the defending champs lost to the Denver Nuggets while Boston got the better of the Indiana Pacers that is why the lead was trim to just one game.
Cleveland was in the midst of a four-game road trip but they finally have a healthy roster with Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver all in the lineup. But the Nuggets came out firing and the Cavaliers' defense did not help in the 126-113 loss.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers defense has to improve if they want to maintain their lead over the Celtics. The defending champs have struggled in their past ten games as they have only won four.
The Cavaliers are also going into the playoffs without their usual rest for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Nevertheless, the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference is going to be entertaining. The number one team in the East will get the homecourt advantage until the Conference Finals.
On the other hand, the Celtics are not consistent this past month but they managed to put on good performances to pull within a game the Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas is playing like an MVP and he helped Boston beat Indiana 109-100 on Wednesday at the TD Garden.
Chad Finn of Boston.com believes the Celtics have the chance to catch up to the Cavaliers. He pointed out the easier schedule for the Celtics compared to the defending champions. The Celtics only have one back-to-back games left while the Cavaliers have three more, which means the "Big 3" are going to be rested.
The Celtics also have the Washington Wizards and Cavaliers to worry during the final stretch but it's not as difficult as Cleveland schedule. The Cavaliers still has to face the San Antonio Spurs, Wizards, Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks twice. The defending champs have to win their game against the Celtics to own the tiebreaker just in case they end up with the same record at the end of the season.
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