Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis
I still think the Cavs are the big favorites. Remember the Heat were the #1 seed in the East only once in LeBron's four years there. Postseason is a different animal than the regular season, less use of bench and officiating is tighter. I do think the Raps are definitely the best bet to beat them though, assuming Lowry is healthy enough come playoff time.
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It's not as much of a cakewalk for Lebron this year, even though he is most likely the favourite to make it out of the East.
In the first round he has to deal with Miami. The Heat are good enough to win a game and make Lebron work harder. The first round is where Lebron usually only plays 5 games.
In the second round he is either playing Toronto or Washington, both of which provide tough challenges. Washington is a thorn to the Cavs as they have absolutely no perimeter defenders that can control Wall and Beal together. This is a tough second round matchup for Lebron, on an annual basis this is usually a cakewalk for him. Last year he swept the Hawks in this round, this year there is the potential for him to go 6-7 games in round 2.
In round 3, there is a tough Boston team that could take him more than 5 games as well.
IMO before he reaches the finals he is likely playing at least 4 more games than he usually does, this is with the added minutes in the regular season as well. He'll likely be playing a motivated and better GSW. If he wins it all, IMO he sits next to MJ as number 2 all time.