As stretch drive begins, Cavs carry look of a champion

By Bud L. Ellis

Fifty-four games into the season. Forty-three victories. A gaudy .796 winning percentage. A 13-game winning streak.

Everything is clicking for the Cleveland Cavaliers right now. The top team in the NBA leads the Eastern Conference by seven games over the Orlando Magic. They sit 2 ½ games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the league’s top mark and home-court advantage in the NBA Finals …

Should the Cavs get there. That’s what happened last year, when Cleveland ended up falling to Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals. But this year’s Cavs look like a champion. They haven’t lost since falling by one point at Utah on Jan. 14, more than a month ago. They’ve lost just three times since Christmas.

Of course, LeBron James is the main focus of the Cavs, but his supporting cast is playing well and the Cavs seem to be coming together. Will it be enough this postseason? Time will tell.

The journey there starts Thursday in a matchup of division leaders, Cleveland (the tops in the Central) playing host to Northwest Division leading Denver. Friday, Cleveland travels to Charlotte, in advance of a Sunday showdown at Orlando.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:48 pm by bud

Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz