Cavaliers projected as East favorites, but not by much

The Cavaliers are running it back with nearly the entire roster from last year’s 64-win juggernaut. They return 93 percent of their minutes, added defensive-minded veterans Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr., and just watched two major rivals — Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton — go down with season-ending injuries.

On paper, that should put Cleveland in the driver’s seat. In reality, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst notes that oddsmakers at ESPN BET only list the Cavs as slight favorites in the East, barely ahead of the Knicks.

Cleveland swept New York in four regular-season meetings last season and finished with 13 more wins. Yet the Knicks are still considered nearly even with the Cavs after reaching the conference finals and adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele on team-friendly deals.

Windhorst makes the case that when people call the East “wide open,” what they really mean is that no one trusts the Cavs to deliver in May.

That’s the product of two straight underwhelming postseasons, even if injuries to core members Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley played a big role.

The projections back up the skepticism. Only three East teams are pegged to win more than 47 games this year — Cleveland, New York and Orlando — even though five hit that mark last season.

That’s partly because, as Windhorst notes, the top East teams will benefit from softer schedules, but it also speaks to a lack of confidence in the conference’s so-called contenders.

Anyway, the Cavs are first in ESPN’s projected standings, but not by much:

1. Cavaliers: 59–23
2. Knicks: 54–28
3. Magic: 50–32
4. Hawks: 47–35
5. Pistons: 47–35

The Cavs are still the default favorite. But between playoff scars, New York’s rise, Orlando’s addition of Desmond Bane and Atlanta’s aggressive move for Kristaps Porzingis, the East feels more fragile than formidable.

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