Cavs picked to finish first in East in reader poll

Most people seem to believe that the Cavaliers will build on last year’s 64-18 record. As in, get past the second round of the playoffs in 2025-26.

And when I say, “most people,” I mean readers who voted in a poll conducted by Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

This, of course, was a regular-season poll. The Cavs were voted as the team to finish with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference again.

Stein explained the poll this way:

“We recently invited readers of The Stein Line to help me compile Community Preseason Predictions for the East and West in 2025-26. The goal, once again, was to attract 100 respondents to the survey and we got to 103 in the end, resulting in a strong panel to create a 1-to-15 ladder for the first of two preseason forecasts that we’re dropping this month.”

The Cavs won.

“Cleveland’s 69 first-place votes were worth 1,035 points according to the rules of this system,” Stein wrote. “The New York Knicks’ 29 first-place votes and 60 second-place votes were worth 1,275 points. And Brooklyn’s 73 15th-place votes were worth — you guessed it — 73 points.”

Here’s how the poll shook out:

1. Cavaliers (1,501 points)
2. Knicks (1,452)
3. Magic (1,305)
4. Hawks (1,165)
5. Pistons (1,135)
6. Bucks (1,046)
7. 76ers (811)
8. Heat (779)
9. Celtics (778)
10. Pacers (687)
11. Raptors (559)
12. Bulls (428)
13. Hornets (332)
14. Wizards (236)
15. Nets (146)

Now, if I had voted … well, I mostly agree. Cavs at No. 1, Knicks at No. 2, Magic at No. 3, and so on. But I’d put the Bulls over the Celtics and Pacers. Crazy, I know. But I don’t expect much from Boston or Indiana, given the major injuries to their stars.

And I’d probably swap the Nets with the Wizards. But who knows when it comes to those two?

Anyway, the key for the Cavaliers will be getting beyond the second round. Otherwise, it’ll be Blowup City (I suspect). Shouldn’t happen, though. I project the Cavs to emerge from the East this season.

“The Cavaliers, after last season’s stunning regular season success, were picked to win the East by 69 of 103 voters,” Stein wrote. “Last season, when The Stein Line 100 made its debut, Boston collected 78 of 100 first-place votes.”

RELATED | Is this the year Cavs finally break through? Hey, why not?