The defending champion Golden State Warriors are five wins away from setting the NBA record for most wins in a single season, but they are not the favorites to win it all again this season. Kyrie Irving doesn’t think so, at least.
After the Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Irving said he feels Cleveland is the team to beat.
“We’re still to the team to beat honestly, regardless of what anybody else says,” he said, per Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. “[Pundits talking about] what we need and what we don’t need and what we need to get better at. … Us internally, we know we have to improve on a lot of things but we’ve just got to handle business as professionals and continue to get better.”
Irving must have been talking about the Eastern Conference, right? He was asked for clarification.
“I feel like we’re the team to beat,” Irving said. “Honestly, it’s open season until we get into the playoffs. I’ve got a lot more confidence than I think that anyone realizes in our team and what’s going on in our locker room.”
The Cavs are poised to earn the No. 1 seed in the East, but they have dealt with a lot of drama this year. Irving said he believes Cleveland’s record despite “everything surrounding our team” is a testament to how good the Cavs can be.
LeBron James has been showing bad body language during games (video here) and sending cryptic tweets that make everyone wonder if he is considering leaving Cleveland again. While some of that could be a motivational tactic, we doubt he feels the Cavs are better than the Warriors. That doesn’t mean they can’t get hot at the right time, and Irving is apparently banking on that happening.
