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It’s only a matter of time before the Cavaliers clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and perhaps the entire NBA playoffs. But hey, small steps.
One of those will be taken if the Cavs (54-10) can beat the Brooklyn Nets at home on Tuesday. With a win, they will be wearing the label of “Central Division Champs.” It will mark the eighth time in history they’ve sported such a moniker.
As it stands, Cleveland holds a 17.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks (36-27) with 18 to go. So again, the Cavaliers will have won the Central by the end of the week, if not the end of the day.
What does it mean? Well, to people obsessed over NBA narratives, probably not a whole lot. It probably doesn’t mean a lot to the coaching staff and players, either.
But the NBA still has divisions and since it does, you may as well win it in this season full of accolades and accomplishments.
Oh, the Cavs can also win their 15th straight — for the second time this season. In summary, Cleveland fans are witnessing pro basketball history. How often do you get to say that?
My advice is always to enjoy the journey and focus on the playoffs when the playoffs arrive. Stressing out over moments, games and the future is no way to enjoy what this team has accomplished. It’s been truly remarkable.
And a Central Division title will be another massive get, as it will be the only one without LeBron James on the team since 1975-76. That’s progress and a franchise that should be tons of fun for years to come.
For the record, here are all the Cavaliers’ Central Division titles: 1975–76, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18.
More must-reads:
- Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland feels 'great' following toe surgery
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
Joel Embiid’s trust in the healing process may not be paying off. A concerning update emerged over the weekend about the health of the Philadelphia 76ers star center. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that there is “genuine concern” around the league about the health of Embiid’s knee. Siegel adds that Philadelphia’s camp is attempting to downplay the concerns but notes that “word is bad” about Embiid’s health around the rest of the NBA. Now 31, the former MVP Embiid is still dealing with the ill effects of a torn left meniscus suffered during a 76ers game in February 2024. Embiid, who previously tore the same left meniscus back in 2017, quickly underwent surgery on the knee and missed two months. It appeared that everything was peaches and cream for Embiid after he returned to finish out the 2023-24 NBA season and even played at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer as the starting center for Team USA. But Embiid missed significant time while managing his left knee throughout the 2024-25 season and even suggested at one point that he would need to have another surgery. In the end, Embiid appeared in just 19 total games for the 76ers last season and was shut down in February with the team nowhere close to contention. There was some talk a few months ago that Embiid might be undergoing the Kobe Bryant treatment to address the troublesome knee, but it looks like Embiid still hasn’t found a course of treatment that his knee is responding to. We know that the 76ers were already growing frustrated with Embiid’s lack of availability going back to last season. Now they may have to prepare for the potential of Embiid missing more time in 2025-26, a disastrous possibility given that they still owe the seven-footer an absurd $187.6M over the next three seasons.
Chelsea’s €140m U21 spending surge puts them at top of interesting table
Chelsea’s new ownership have focused on buying young players, and the figures from this summer show just how strong that commitment remains. According to TransferMarkt, 4 of the top 20 most valuable under 21 transfers of the summer were to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s young Brazilian ready to take the league by storm Top of the list at €60m is Estevao Willian. The Brazilian sensation signed over a year ago, and we’ve been waiting patiently to see him in action. It’s been a while since we were so excited to see an attacking player debut at Chelsea – you might have to go back all the way to Eden Hazard in 2012. Estevao is due to report for training at Cobham tomorrow. Amusingly, joint top with Estevao is Dean Huijsen. He was actually the first target Chelsea chased this summer, making serious moves to bring in the Bournemouth centre back before Real Madrid swooped in to pay his release clause and leave us in the dust. The rest of the Blues’ impressive imports Next comes Jamie Gittens at €50m, another thrilling one on one winger who we can’t wait to see taking on Premier League defenders after coming in from Dortmund. Further down the list we have Dario Essugo, who looks a smart pickup at €20m from Sporting. The tenacious ball winner will be supporting Moises Caicedo as a much needed defensive-minded body in midfield. He is being overshadowed a little by more glamorous attacking names, but don’t sleep on the Portugal international. Finally, also at €20m we have Mamadou Sarr. The defender has signed for the Blues from their sister club Strasbourg and then been loaned back. We won’t see him in action for us for a year at least, but we’re excited to see him continue his development.
Caitlin Clark's Expected Return Date Could Bring Good News for Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever have found a way to keep winning with star Caitlin Clark on the sidelines with a groin injury, improving their record to 17-12 with a win Sunday over the Seattle Storm. While it remains unclear exactly when Clark could take the floor again, her expected return timeline could match up well with a critical stretch in the Fever's schedule. ESPN's Holly Rowe reported in late July that while Clark remained day-to-day, it would be realistic for her to return sometime around the third week in August. That could put the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year back on the court for what could be the team's most important stretch of the season -- a back-to-back set with the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on August 22 and 24. The Fever are looking to climb up in the crowded playoff standings, and getting at least a split from the home-and-home series with the Lynx could be critical. Fever coach Stephanie White stressed after Sunday's win that the team was not going to rush Clark back onto the court. "I know she wants to be out here on the floor, we want her out here on the floor, but making sure that she's ready is the most important thing," White said. "I still don't know how far we are, we're gonna take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and go from there."
Maurice Jones-Drew Ranks Omarion Hampton Above Ashton Jeanty As Top Rookie RB
The Las Vegas Raiders selected running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the highest a back has been taken since Saquon Barkley was drafted second overall in 2018. With the Raiders bringing in Pete Carroll as head coach, who loves to run the ball, many are expecting a big rookie season for Jeanty. However, former three-time All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes rookie Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers will have an even better year. In his running back rankings on NFL.com, Jones-Drew ranked Hampton 13th, ahead of Jeanty, who was 17th, and explained why he is higher on Hampton going into this year: Some of you might be surprised to see Hampton ranked higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, based on their respective standings in my pre-draft RB rankings, but hear me out. Hampton joins a Jim Harbaugh-led offense that loves to the run the ball, so there will be plenty of touches to go around. He should be the bell cow for this unit — with veteran Najee Harris in the backup role — thanks to his patience and ability to bounce off defenders. Hampton is in the perfect situation to find early success, and while you could say similar things about Jeanty, Pete Carroll’s recent comments (which I’ll get to in a minute) swayed my opinion some. It seems as if Jones-Drew views Hampton’s situation with the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh in a run-first offense as better than that of Jeanty. However, when he got down to Jeanty at 17th in his rankings, Jones-Drew echoed many of the same things that have him high on Hampton: I can’t wait to watch Jeanty take his first NFL snap. The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft is tough to tackle and should fit perfectly in an attack that wants to bully opponents under Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. Carroll said last month that the offense won’t rely on just one back in the ground game, but it’s hard to envision the Raiders consistently looking to Raheem Mostert, Zamir White or Sincere McCormick when they have a talent like Jeanty on the roster. While it is true that Carroll has said that he plans on a committee approach, as Jones-Drew noted, Jeanty’s talent should have him head and shoulders above the other backs in the Raiders’ backfield. And like Hampton, Jeanty is coming in under a coach that prioritizes running the ball. Who will wind up having the better rookie season will be found out, but Jeanty could certainly use this as some extra motivation going into his debut season with the Raiders. Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty names Saquon Barkley as favorite current running back Most would consider Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley as the best running back in the NFL today, and Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty likewise views him as his favorite in the league today.
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