Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
NBA Over/Under Regular Season Wins
Cleveland Cavaliers - 50.5 wins
October 22, 2023
The Case for the Over
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They won 51 games last year and had a point differential of a 55 win team. They don’t have any older players that you would expect regression from, other than Ricky Rubio who barely played much last year anyway. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in particular should continue to improve.
From a talent perspective, they upgraded by adding Max Strus and Georges Niang and really only losing Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens from guys that played real minutes last year. Teams were also pretty hot from 3 against them last year, which is unlikely to replicate, and they still had the best defense in the league.
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The Case for the Under
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They were really healthy last year, with each of their top six guys playing 68 games or more, so it’s unlikely they are that healthy again. They gave up a lot of offensive rebounds last year, and didn’t do anything to address that yet.
Max Strus was a good pick-up and should be in their starting and closing lineups, but he doesn’t fully address their need for a bigger forward that can defend at a high level. Donovan Mitchell gave better effort on defense after feeling re-energized in his first season outside of Utah, but will he fall back into his poor defending ways?
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Conclusion
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I have some doubts about this team in the playoffs, but I think the Cavs have a legitimate shot at having the best regular season record in the league. They have enough depth to survive some injuries, and have a pretty balanced roster. They added more shooting, which should make it easier to play the two-big lineups that have made them an elite defense.