Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland has high hopes for the team heading into next season. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Garland is not lacking for confidence.

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard joined the “Varsity House Podcast” for an interview that was posted on Wednesday. Garland was talking about his team and shared that he thinks they are trending in the right direction. He thinks they can even reach the conference finals next season.

“I think we can get even better,” Garland said. “I think we can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals next year for sure. We’re coming back with a chip on our shoulder. … We’re a young team. Like you said, we battled through a lot of adversity this season. So, it was cool just being there, but we not satisfied. We all in. We all ready to rock and roll.”

The Cavs were one of the surprises last season. They went 44-38 and finished eighth in the Eastern Conference. They lost both of their play-in games and did not officially reach the playoffs, but they were in contention to earn one of the final spots.

Can they make such a surge that they become one of the top teams in the conference? That’s a tall order. Miami, Boston, Philly and Milwaukee were the top four teams in the conference last season, and they’re all not going anywhere. The Cavs have their work cut out for them. It won’t be easy taking that step up, but don’t tell that to Garland, who is not in the least bit discouraged.

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