The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals since very early on in the season. They sprinted out to a 15-0 start that immediately put the rest of the NBA on notice, as well as fans.
Stephen A. Smith has been one of Cleveland's biggest supporters, defending them from the never-ending mob of doubters that think they are just a fluke regular season team. The legendary sports analyst has been projecting them to the finals for much of the season, and he recently included them in his dream NBA Finals matchup.
"LeBron James going to Cleveland trying to prevent Cleveland from capturing an NBA championship. ... That would be epic."
-@stephenasmith's wishlist for the NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/H0jJnZ9Hhg
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 17, 2025
Smith explained why he believes the Cavaliers taking on the Los Angeles Lakers would be the ideal Finals matchup. He believes that the storylines will be too big to ignore, with the most obvious one being Lebron James returning home to the place he started it all to win a championship against his hometown team.
Not only that, but the old boxing adage "styles make fights," would be personified if these two teams were to meet in June. James and his new running mate Luka Doncic are both equal parts brutish and flashy, while the Cavs are anything but.
Cleveland makes their living by playing fundamental, balanced basketball that seemingly allows a different player to shine each night.
Whether this dream matchup materializes or not, this is undoubtedly Finals-or-bust for the team with the best record in the NBA this season. The Cavs have steamrolled the competition all season long with three separate 12-game win streaks and recently breaking their franchise record for consecutive wins.
Many fans across the country feel that because Cleveland's roster is nearly identical to the one that was bounced last year in the second round, that the team will suffer a similar fate this season. So, to validate the historic regular season that they've had, they need to make the Finals at the very least, or this entire season will be forgotten and disregarded.
Related: Cavaliers Make Franchise History With Win on Friday Night
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This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM.