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Prior to Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers had won more NBA titles than the Denver Nuggets. In fact, Cleveland had one more NBA title than the Nuggets.
Now, thanks to Denver’s 94-89 victory over the Miami Heat and 4-1 series victory in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers and Nuggets own one championship apiece.
Which team is going to get to No. 2 first? Well, oddsmakers are currently displaying a lot more confidence that it will be the Nuggets than the Cavaliers.
| 2023-24 NBA Champions | Odds |
|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | +500 |
| Boston Celtics | +550 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | |
Denver is showing as the +500 betting favorite to repeat as champions in the NBA title odds following the 2023-24 season. You’ll go well down the list before arriving at the Cavaliers in this betting market. Cleveland is the 12th betting choice to be 2023-24 NBA champions at odds of +2500.
Which are the real Cavs?
Cleveland enjoyed a stellar regular season, winning 51 games. That was the Cavaliers’ best season in six years. But they flamed out spectacularly in the postseason, exiting via a first-round upset loss to the New York Knicks.
The addition of all-star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz certainly moved the needle for Cleveland during the regular season. Still, an utter lack of a front-court scoring threat put all the pressure on Mitchell and Darius Garland to carry the Cleveland offense.
The Cavaliers averaged just 112.3 points per game, which was 25th out of 30 teams. They need to upgrade and find a two-way wing, either through free agency or the trade market. There’s also hope that internal growth will improve the fortunes of the Cavs. Power forward Evan Mobley will be entering his third NBA season, which is often when a player makes a quantum leap in productivity. Along with Garland and small forward Isaac Okoro, they are three key Cleveland pieces who were born in 2000 or later.
The 2023 postseason was a learning experience for several of the team’s players, as well as coach J.B. Bickerstaff. There’s every reason to believe that the Cavaliers will be better for the experience when they are contesting the playoffs the second time around.
NBA Eastern Conference in flux
Around the Cavaliers, there are plenty of Eastern Conference teams facing uncertainty entering the offseason. Philadelphia opted to hire a new coach, bringing in former Toronto bench boss Nick Nurse. He had some run ins with Sixers players over the years of the Raptors-Philly rivalry. Will those old wounds heal easily? There’s also the issue of whether guard James Harden is staying with the 76ers or moving elsewhere.
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet opted out of his contract. The Milwaukee Bucks must make a decision about free agent Khris Middleton. Will the Boston Celtics be breaking up their J-J tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Is Miami for real, or are they really just an eight seed that got hot at the right time of the year?
None of Cleveland’s key players will be departing and you’d have to think that stability amidst so much potential change in the East has to work in Cleveland’s favor. The Cavs only need look at the champion Nuggets to see the value of staying the course. Denver didn’t panic through years of playoff heartbreak, counting on the 1-2 punch of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray doing exactly what they did, delivering a title to the Mile High City.
Cavaliers about where they should be
Based on how the 2023 NBA playoffs played out, you can’t legitimately make the argument that the Cavaliers are NBA contenders, or even among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. In the NBA conference odds, Cleveland is situated with the fourth-best betting line to win the conference at +900.
Interestingly, that’s better than the line of the reigning Eastern Conference champion Heat (+1000), but behind the Bucks (+200), Celtics (+230) and 76ers (+550). And that’s about right where Cleveland should be located in this betting market.
The Cavaliers took steps forward this season. They are back in the argument for the playoffs, but still a ways away from being considered a legit contender. History shows us that every team must endure heartbreak before ascending to the top of the mountain. Cleveland is only at the outset of that journey.
The young Cavaliers have pieces in place, just not enough of them yet. A middle of the pack playoff team is how the oddsmakers are viewing Cleveland at the dawning of the 2023-24 offseason, and that’s exactly where this team is situated at this juncture.
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