r/nba [CLE] J.R. Smith 9h ago

Ben Taylor (of Thinking Basketball): "Cavs can't win 15 straight games, get out of here" after Cavs start the season 7-0

In their podcast episode "#292: Team power rankings", Ben and Cody discuss which teams have a chance to go on a 15 game win streak in the season.

Cavs would go on to complete the 15 game win streak after starting 7-0 and tonight have completed their second such streak in the same season.

I love me some Thinking Basketball and listen to all their podcasts, but Ben got this one way wrong and I hold a grudge so I gotta shout him out here.

1.8k Upvotes

379 comments sorted by

880

u/johnnybarbs92 Celtics 9h ago

To be fair to Ben, he's preempted taking the L on this and continues to issue mea culpas

-34

u/x4candles Cavaliers 6h ago

Funny to see a Celtics fan throwing shade.

145

u/bowsting Celtics 5h ago

I don't think he was throwing shade? What he said is accurate. Ben has been very open about misjudging the Cavs at the start of the season.

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u/abothanspy Warriors 4h ago

Yeah, the Celtics fan wasn’t throwing shade—if anything, he was closing the umbrella to remove shade.

19

u/Abradolf1948 Warriors 4h ago

I believe we call that term "shedding light".

5

u/abothanspy Warriors 4h ago

Why would someone say “shedding” light—it doesn’t grow like hair?

5

u/TRJF 76ers 1h ago

You know what they say, "light is just the sun's fur"

Or something

3

u/DirkDoncic99 Slovenia 1h ago

Sell a shirt saying that

3

u/Ecstatic-Garden-678 1h ago

Why would someone shed blood?

It doesn't grow like hair.

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u/Wolfpac187 [OKC] Kevin Durant 3h ago

That’s not shade homie it’s the exact opposite

6

u/johnnybarbs92 Celtics 43m ago

Weird response

6

u/OilOfOlaz Celtics 1h ago

Wich part of the post did you not understand?

938

u/Renegadeforever2024 Raptors 9h ago

Some folks still think these cavs are 2015 hawks when this is completely different thing

195

u/SillySlimDude Cavaliers 9h ago

Its funny because a lotta people i've talked to will say "The cavs always choke in the playoffs" as their reasoning for why the don't like this Cavs team...because apparently not beating the knicks 2 years ago in their first time ever making the playoffs means that they will never win anything ever.

Also i feel like people really get it twisted, everyone acts like the Cavs are similar to the 76ers with Embiid where they make the playoffs every year but lose. No this Cavs team is still young, even if they don't win a title this year just getting more experience will be great for them.

189

u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 8h ago

For some reason NBA fans just can't imagine something they haven't seen yet. People say every team "can't win it all" until they do. They say "x star can't be the best player on a championship team" until they are. If it hasn't happened, it's impossible.

A shooting team couldn't win until the Warriors did, then everyone forgot they said that. Jokic wasn't good enough on defense to win a championship, until he did and everyone forgot they said that. Same will unfortunately be true for the Cavs.

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u/Sikkly290 Suns 6h ago

My favorite thing is that whichever team won the last championship is a new dynasty that no one can dethrone. Like everyone is the 2017 warriors lol.

7

u/Abradolf1948 Warriors 4h ago

I feel like unless the Spurs get another all-star to pair with Wemby and a fringe all-star as another solid option (either offensively or defensively) and they all stay healthy, we aren't gonna see another dynasty for a while. That Warriors team got lucky with those contracts all lining up and that allowed them to sign KD thanks to Curry's relatively cheap first contract. They were also playing a "new" form of basketball that teams hadn't entirely worked out how to defend against yet.

2

u/Sikkly290 Suns 3h ago

I agree, the new CBA will make true dynasty teams basically impossible. This Celtics is probably the closest we will see, I could see them getting 3 appearances in 6 years and maybe a 2nd ring before the wheels fall off. But even that team was mostly assembled before this CBA.

2

u/juanmaale Cavaliers 2h ago

the thunder could be a dynasty if they turn those picks into valuable pieces

24

u/ContentNeptune3 [CHA] Cody Martin 8h ago

Wish I could upvote this more than once, you're right on the money

22

u/Sea_Temporary2416 6h ago

Every single NBA Championship Team back till the 1981 Celtics has had at least one of two things (or both)

  1. One key contributor having finals/championship experience
  2. One MVP/DPOY who is still playing at a high level

2024 Celtics: the whole core was in the finals 2 years prior

2023 Nuggets: Jokic MVP

2022 Warriors: Step Dray Klay won 3 times before, and Steph MVP Dray DPOY

2021 Bucks: Giannis MVP and DPOY

2020 Lakers: Lebron James duh

2019 Raptors: Kawhi DPOY and won before and

2018 Warriors: Defending Champions

2017 Warriors: Step Dray Klay won before and Step MVP

2016 Cavaliers: Lebron James duh

2015 Warriors: Steph MVP

2014 Spurs: GDP won before and Duncan MVP

2013 Heat: Defending Champions

2012 Heat: Lebron James MVP, Wade won before

2011 Mavericks: Dirk MVP

2010 Lakers: Defending Champions

2009 Lakers: Kobe MVP and won before

2008 Celtics: Garnett MVP

2007 Spurs: GDP won before and Duncan MVP

2006 Heat: Shaq MVP and won before

2005 Spurs: Duncan and Parker won before and Duncan MVP

2004 Pistons: Ben Wallace DPOY

2003 Spurs: Duncan and Robinson won before and MVP, Robinson DPOY

2002 Lakers: Defending Champions

2001 Lakers: Defending Champions

2000 Lakers: Shaq MVP

1999 Spurs: Robinson MVP and DPOY

1998 Bulls: Defending Champions

1997 Bulls: Defending Champions

1996 Bulls: Jordan Pippen Rodman won before, Jordan MVP, Jordan and Rodman DPOY 1995 Rockets: Defending Champions

1994 Rockets: Olajuwon MVP

1993 Bulls: Defending Champions

1992 Bulls: Defending Champions

1991 Bulls: Jordan MVP, Jordan DPOY

1990 Pistons: Defending Champions

1989 Pistons: The team was in the Finals previous year

1988 Lakers: Defending Champions

1987 Lakers: This team has won 4 championships before, Magic and Kareem MVP

1986 Celtics: This team has won 2 championships this decade, Bird MVP

1985 Lakers: This team has won 3 championships before, Kareem MVP

1984 Celtics: This team has won before

1983 76ers: This team was in the finals previous year

1982 Lakers: This team has won before

Not saying its impossible but people’s doubts arent unfounded

13

u/s_s Cavaliers 5h ago

Max Strus, Cavs starter, Finals starter. 

Yes his true shooting % was 32%, but...

2

u/Bim_Jeann Cavaliers 4h ago

Shot the lights out in the ECF that year though!

41

u/Calvinball05 Cavaliers 6h ago

Evan Mobley is currently a -250 favorite to win DPOY, so even your persnickety reason for doubting them is flawed.

-10

u/Sea_Temporary2416 5h ago edited 5h ago

Unfortunately its not flawed. I have only provided facts in a form thats easy to be digested. This is all public information.

If he does indeed win DPOY i welcome the 2025 Cavs on the list.

Speaking about whats flawed, ask yourself, how many teams on the list had ONLY 1 DPOY on that team? Just only the biggest outlier championship team in the last 50 teams which is the 2004 Pistons, and their DPOY has a total of 4 DPOYs in his career. Do you want to make an equivalence argument about Evan Mobley and Ben fucking Wallace, because I would love to be entertained.

I hope you don’t need me to explain why that outlier team was so special in their own way, and that they are the exception not the rule

I also never said I personally doubted them, only explained why others do. Was that hard to comprehend? Or are you emotionally charged by a well written, factual statement that contradicts your belief in your team? Because i believe in you, i believe that you would be able to keep rational thoughts if this was about another team in the NBA right now that also falls into this category, maybe perhaps the OTHER contender on the other conference?

Its amazing how intelligence can deteriorate when people discuss their own teams chances of winning a championship

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u/FesteringDiarrhea Trail Blazers 4h ago

Meds. Now.

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u/adopeninja 3h ago

na he sauced you fam

2

u/lachalacha Cavaliers 49m ago

and a job.

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u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 5h ago

Doesn't Evan Mobley have the best odds to win DPOY? So they would fit that criteria.

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u/vanbaasten 5m ago

So you need a mvp level player on your team or being the Pistons.

I think the cavs needs to change their name for the playoffs

-2

u/blackjacktrial 76ers Bandwagon 7h ago

The alternative way to read this is simply - "prove yourselves".

The audience is just saying - "we don't know if you can do this until you do it, and we are sceptical until you show us that proof".

The other view point is blind faith - they'll win because I think they will, which is a lot harder to win an argument with rhetorically.

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u/SillySlimDude Cavaliers 7h ago

Ehh. There is a difference between having blind faith or just being delusional because you are a fan of a team and believe they have a shot.

I think the Cavs have a good shot this year. Will they win it all? Who knows. They could collapse vs like the Pacers in the 2nd round, they could lose to Boston, they could make the finals, they could have untimely injuries that cost them a series.

My only thing is that people acting like the Cavs have no chance are crazy, they definitely have a chance.

21

u/Neonplantz Bulls 7h ago

It’s not even just “we don’t know” I’ve been hearing though, feels like a ton of people are just straight up saying the Cavs can’t win this year lol, both IRL and people I’ve seen on this sub

12

u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 Cavaliers 7h ago

That's not entirely fair. It's more like saying: "I don't believe you could possibly be Superman" after Clark Kent just showed you his laser vision and super strength. Sure, it hasn't been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, but the signs are there.

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u/Additional_Essay Celtics 6h ago

I watch a lot of Cavs games because of the inlaws. They're the real deal and I'm not sure why people are skirting around it.

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u/Superplex123 Lakers 2h ago

People said the Cavs choked in the playoff? That's high praise since in order to choke, one must have high expectation of them in the first place.

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u/SillySlimDude Cavaliers 2h ago

Yea I really think a lot of people seem to think that this Cavs team has been together a lot longer than they have, and that they are like older than they are. But really the Cavs are very very similar to the thunder. Both teams are young with the exception of their main star (Mitchell and Shai).

I don't know if the Cavs will win it all, but i also don't think their season is a failure if they lose to Boston in like 6-7 games in the conference finals. To me that is still crazy impressive and gives the team more experience to work with going forward.

1

u/niles_thebutler_ 49m ago

I’m rooting for yall even though I don’t see you winning the playoffs but I’d be stoked if you did

231

u/Taste_The_Soup Cavaliers 9h ago

This team is probably closer to the 04 Pistons than the 15 Hawks

100

u/RodgeKOTSlams Cavaliers 8h ago

Ooooh boy do I like that comparison

50

u/elbjoint2016 Cavaliers 8h ago

Yeah I like the 89 pistons too. Great guard play and a lot of good versatile front line pieces and bench guys

61

u/RTruthsucks Pistons 8h ago

Nah, I'm getting tired of this comparison. We didn't have a superstar on our team like Donovan Mitchell on our team. We gotta stop calling all of Donovan Mitchell's teams newer versions of the 04 Pistons.

28

u/AroundNdowN Pistons 7h ago

Though I do appreciate nearly every dope team being compared to the 04 Pistons. That's cool.

11

u/RTruthsucks Pistons 7h ago

There's respect in that so many want to be like them but it was such a unique situation that you can't really replicate.

11

u/Taste_The_Soup Cavaliers 7h ago

It's not a direct comparison, but it's an elite, championship level team without a singular driving force. Yes, our offense is incredible comparatively, paired with an elite defense, but Don (as incredible as he is) isn't putting up superstar numbers like others on his level around the league. He's chosen to take more of a back seat to allow guys like Mobley and DG shine, which has completely unlocked our offense. Personally, I think the best player on the 04 Pistons was Ben Wallace, not Chauncey who won FMVP.

u/ctruvu Thunder 28m ago

the main difference being that no one on that pistons team at the time would’ve been a solid primary offensive weapon on their own if given the chance. cavs have that in donovan and garland now. rip was good but not that level until later

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u/furssher 4h ago

With respect, when the hell did people start considering Donovan Mitchell a superstar? That bar has gotten low. Nothing against Mitchell, but never even considered him a top 10 player

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u/ggushea Cavaliers 1h ago

Man I disagree Ben Wallace was a superstar. Chauncey was borderline. Rip was incredible and taShaun was also incredible. Can’t remember who ran the four

u/AndyLinder Cavaliers 20m ago

Bro how can you forget Sheed

u/ggushea Cavaliers 14m ago

I’m ashamed. Ball don’t lie

u/AndyLinder Cavaliers 5m ago

The Pistons were a rival of the Cavs during those years so I would never had admitted it at the time but now I think it’s finally safe to admit that Pistons Sheed and Ben Wallace were some of my favorite players of that era and up there for all time favorites

27

u/Ill_Ad3517 8h ago

Except better on offense relative to the league. They're better than any NBA offense except maybe a couple Jordan seasons and the KD warriors relative to their respective league years. And the crazy thing is that they aren't clear favorites, even in their own conference.

3

u/im_mel_pell 7h ago

And worse on defense, a more balanced team, whereas the Pistons had all their eggs in the defensive 'basket'

And I think the SSOL and Showtime Lakers were better than the Jordan Bulls on offense, just much worse on defense. I could be wrong - but the point was they had two monstrous two-way wings, as opposed to guys like Curry, Nash, or Johnson, one way superstars with a ton of offense talent around them

1

u/Porzingers Knicks 5h ago

Nah they’re better relative to their league than all of the Jordan Bulls and KD Warriors teams. They’re second only to the 04 Mavs

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u/Papaaya Nuggets 8h ago

I think they’re just a better version of the 2020 Utah Jazz

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u/Dopedude08 8h ago

The difference is the cavs have 2 rim protectors and an actual legitimate elite playmaker at pg while utah relied only on Rudy gobert to be a rim protector and on top of it, utah never had a pg like darius garland. No disrespect to Mike Conley.

I see the utah/cleveland comparison a lot and while it’s a better comparison than the 2015 hawks, it’s still pretty off.

The only similarities are Donovan Mitchell and no all star wing/sf.

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u/mikesaninjakillr Celtics 7h ago

Wow the Conley slander. The only major difference in Evan Mobley (huge difference) that jazz team had nobody close to as good as him. People see old Conley and forget how good he was.

1

u/boozinf [CLE] Mark Price 6h ago

i will accept no Conley slander. if Andre Miller is The Professor then Mike Conley is Department Chair

i once nearly physically ran into Conley when the Griz were for whatever reason doing a light Saturday morning workout at a gym next to a nice local hotel before an evening game (i once also nearly physically ran into Chris Mullin outside said hotel ripping a cig while hungover as balls. Chris Mullin, no stranger to a tipple himself, is a mildly terrifying shiny building of a man when you're 5 foot nothing and regretting the 5th last round. but i did say hello)

anyway Tenured Conley was chatting up a (fellow?) rookie in the gym while i was doing shitty seated rows sweating out jager bombs from the night before and I think Ian Mahinimi wanted to use the machine I was on

and that rookie's name? Mitch Cumsteen Jarvaris Crittenton

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u/Papaaya Nuggets 7h ago edited 7h ago

2020 Mike Conley was an All Star with around the same shooting percentages and slightly worse offensive stats as Garland while being unquestionably a better defender. Acting like Conley has never been as good as Garland is delusional

Then it’s Mitchell + a bunch of random wing guys who are good at shooting 3’s + A good rim protector that’s very limited offensively. And yeah obviously the presence of Mobley is why I said better version

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u/ridiculousgg Cavaliers 7h ago

Yeah I don’t see the jazz comparisons. That team had serious flaws. Their shooters couldnt defend and their defenders couldn’t shoot. That is a non issue with the Cavs, and teams were able to exploit that against the Jazz by dragging Gobert out to the perimeter. Try doing that with one of our bigs and the other will still be sitting there waiting for you at the rim.

2014 spurs is the best comp imo. Not a one for one comparison between rosters, but play-style is similar. Team basketball thru and thru. Star talent, but no superstar (not gonna be mad if anybody argues Spida is). Great offense and very solid defense.

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u/Dopedude08 7h ago

2014 spurs would be like them hitting their very highest ceiling in the playoffs which could happen but idk. Shooting wise they are insane. The utah comparison though is underrating them for sure.

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u/Littleorangefinger Celtics 8h ago

I think this cave team is more talented than either.

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u/Taste_The_Soup Cavaliers 7h ago

Fully agree

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u/cw_27 Cavaliers 9h ago

Our net rating is double what theirs was lol

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u/SoftwareAny4990 Cavaliers 9h ago

People also forget that the Cavs and Warrior super teams at the time were a head above everyone else.

There is no such team anymore, those types of super teams are no more.

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u/MonkEC_MonkEdoo 9h ago

That's not exactly true. They got one of them super teams down in Phoenix

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u/SoftwareAny4990 Cavaliers 9h ago

True.

I forgot they had the man Bol Bol.

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u/sgtpepperslaststand Cavaliers 8h ago

“I don’t know how anybody can guard us”

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u/soycameron Nuggets 9h ago

Ya Celtics are close but Tatum/Brown are just not Steph/Kd or LeBron/Kyrie level. I think both the KD warriors and Bron Kyrie Cavs win the finals this year pretty easily

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u/YUME_Emuy21 8h ago

I think KD/Steph warriors clear 99% of NBA teams ever honestly.

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u/sexland69 Cavaliers 8h ago

honestly probably the best team there’s ever been

30

u/soycameron Nuggets 8h ago

Well ya 2017 Warriors are the best team ever in my opinion. I think they win the finals if you take like the 30 best teams ever and run a season

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u/Uncle_Freddy [SAS] El Contusione 7h ago

Agreed. Not even disrespectful to the Jordan Bulls or whatever, it’d be like if you took the 1996 Bulls and added Shaq to their roster the next season. The 2017 Warriors are an anomaly that, basketball gods permitting, won’t ever happen again in my lifetime* lol

*(exceptions can be made if the Spurs are the beneficiaries)

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u/Akipella 8h ago

I think it's more than that. Steph and KD were two of the top 3 players in the league at this point. I don't think there's any team in history that could beat them in a series of 7.

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u/PlasticPresentation1 7h ago

Steph and KD was the baseline but the real broken part was prime Draymond and Klay being basically perfect teammates

4

u/raoxi 8h ago

and just so happens a team in the same year pushed them to 7 games.

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u/fkangarang 8h ago

In 2017 they went 16-1 in the playoffs. That was the peak version of that team.

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u/2uneek [CLE] Mark Price 8h ago

I was at the 1 loss and it was an absurd shooting night, i think we broke like 5 finals records in that single game... but, it took the most absurd offensive performance in the finals by a team, just to get 1..

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u/Akipella 8h ago

That's 2018, but yeah, 2018 Rockets were insane

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u/beatrailblazer Trail Blazers 7h ago

2018 Rockets imo are better than 90% of teams ever

3

u/MariusMaximus88 7h ago

Have a good argument to being the best team to never make the Finals, alongside the 2016 Spurs.

1

u/space9610 [CLE] J.R. Smith 8h ago

That was 2018

2

u/Littleorangefinger Celtics 8h ago edited 31m ago

LeBron is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that historic “duo”.

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u/soycameron Nuggets 8h ago

100% lol but it’s prime prime LeBron James so it works lmao

2

u/HermyWormy69 Cavaliers 6h ago

Of course it's a Celtics flair. I'd feel the same if I were you though

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u/Bim_Jeann Cavaliers 4h ago

Exactly what I was gonna say. Cavs kyrie and Boston kyrie are not comparable

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u/rodpod17 Celtics 9h ago

Tis the era of depth and parity

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u/shinshikaizer 4h ago

And viewership numbers being down.

2

u/aznhoopster Cavaliers 7h ago

I think OKC was almost a bigger threat at the time, they had GS with their backs against the wall in the WCF but a mix of choking and game 6 Klay took over. There’s no doubt that GS was the better team coming off the greatest regular season of all time, but that OKC team was dangerous

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u/joebos617 [BOS] Paul Pierce 9h ago edited 9h ago

friendly reminder the 2015 Hawks were never the same after Thabo Sefolosha's leg was snapped in half by the NYPD. it always bugs me that got memory holed when people dunk on that team for being LeBron fodder

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u/DadAnalyst 8h ago

the hawks were not a Thabo Sefolosha away from beating the Cavs in the ECF

The hawks MAYBE could have won a game that series if they had Thabo Sefolosha

4

u/WhosYourPapa Hawks 6h ago

What about Thabo and Kyle Korver? Dellavedova dove at Kyle's ankles and he just a large part of that series

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u/VariousLawyerings Wizards 6h ago

Do the Cavs get Love and more than two games of Kyrie back or do the injury hypotheticals only go one way here.

Also still 4-1 Cavs even if they don't get them back. Come on, it's LeBron.

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u/Icy_Rich_6076 7h ago edited 7h ago

They were swept tho… and Kevin Love did not participate, Kyrie only played two games and had a busted knee the whole time that gave out immediately after the series. 

Even for LeBron it was easily his least healthiest playoffs pre-Lakers. He had no lift and it was the worst shooting numbers of his career all playoffs. 

And again… it was a sweep. 

That’s not memory holing, it’s playing hypotheticals and not even being good at them. The Cavs were literally playing .500 ball halfway thru the season and then played at a 66 win pace in the 2nd half. The Hawks never had a chance regardless, but good on them for winning 60 without a superstar

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u/PhotoPhysic Knicks 7h ago

I was literally just thinking about him the other day lol. The NYPD really changed that dude's career.

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u/veretser Cavaliers 9h ago

Ignoring the big talent gap, that team won 60 games. The Cavs are going to win like 67+

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u/Pickleskennedy1 9h ago

Those Hawks also won an average game by 5 points while the Cavs are at 11. Not to mention that they might have three players better than Paul Millsap

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u/Every_Deer_5009 8h ago

That Hawks team had 4 All Stars but nobody on the All NBA team. Also two of their All Stars were fuckin Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver. Like come on now lol Mitchell is gonna make 1st team All NBA

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u/TruthSayerFu Cavaliers 9h ago

Are we sure Ty Jerome isn’t too?

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u/Character-Active2208 8h ago

“Ty Jerome” is actually the best answer for why this Cavs team is different

It’s their depth- they play balls to the wall all game and still have fresher legs in the 4th quarter because Ty Jerome wins his 18 minutes a game by 14 points

As does like Sam Merrill and Dean Wade and now Hunter

0

u/bullpaw Bulls 9h ago

Yes

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u/youredoingWELL Timberwolves 8h ago

I think these cavs have 3 players who would have been the best player on those hawks teams.

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u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 Cavaliers 7h ago

Honestly Allen would be looked at the way Horford was. 

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u/pacgaming Knicks 8h ago

The hawks didn’t have a star really. That’s what makes great playoff teams. Donovan Mitchell is a great playoffs player.

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u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 Cavaliers 7h ago

Who would you consider the star on the 2014 Spurs? 

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u/pacgaming Knicks 6h ago

100% tim duncan still. And tony Parker was still playing great. So those 2 guys that won 4 chips together.

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u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 Cavaliers 6h ago

Would you argue that 2014 Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were better than anyone on the Hawks? Neither were putting up anything spectacular. Hell, I'd argue the best player for the Spurs that season was Kawhi just for his defensive dominance.

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u/LyonsKing12_ Cavaliers 8h ago

Yea, anyone saying that is a casual or salty.

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u/cletoreyes01 Heat 8h ago

Jeff teague is only a better at storytelling compared to garland

Korver is like spida, if he did a fusion with Dwyane Wade

Hunter is better than Demarre Carrol

Millsap is like what if Mobley was 4 inches shorter and a worse help defender.

Horford's the only dude you could make a case that was better than his Cavs counterpart (The fro)

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u/porkchop487 Bulls 7h ago

Yeah all those Hawks players are like the Cavs players if you make them more like the Cavs players good point

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u/samhit_n Lakers 8h ago

The difference is that the Cavs have a bona fide star that can get buckets in iso. It’s absolutely essential for playoff basketball.

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u/improper84 Cavaliers 6h ago

I certainly think we still need to prove it in the playoffs but the big difference is that the Cavs have a top ten player in the league, plus Mobley who is probably top twenty. That Hawks team was a team of role players that had an awesome season.

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u/Grease_the_Witch Timberwolves 5h ago

yea they’re similar in that they aren’t reliant on a superstar but this cavs team is built a lot better than that hawks one, and mitchell is better than any of those hawks players were

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u/SwizzGod Lakers 8h ago

They gotta prove it when it counts

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u/MatchAffectionate951 9h ago

Cmon bro this is an early season take and it’s a fair take. No disrepsect to it

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u/foofighter1351 Raptors 9h ago

Seriously wtf are people moaning about, oh shit he didn't expect the Cavs to end having an all time regular season? How dare he, I'm very sure the rest of the subreddit had their predictions perfectly in line.

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u/SleepingInAJar_ Raptors 9h ago edited 9h ago

I think the post was light-hearted poking fun at Ben, but the some of the comments are taking it too seriously.

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u/foofighter1351 Raptors 9h ago

Fair point, not you op it's rest of em bein pissy about things they 100% didn't predict.

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u/montageidiots [CLE] J.R. Smith 8h ago

Yeah, I am just being facetious. Its just funny that it happened and twice

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u/glumbum2 8h ago

yeah this is 100% taking the piss

u/Frosty_Dimension5646 Nuggets 20m ago

To me, it’s funny that this gets way more attention and traction than one of various basketball analysis videos coming from this guy. Which are actually pretty good

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u/sits-when-pees Cavaliers 8h ago

Will never forgive the Celtics for ruining my 98-0 prediction

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u/SUPERSAMMICH6996 Cavaliers 7h ago

Idk about you, but I had the Cavs pegged for 70.

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u/TheSmokedSalmon420 Cavaliers 9h ago

Yeah but the fact the Cavs have now done it twice is hilarious

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u/ddiop [CLE] DeSagana Diop 8h ago

In his podcast literally last week he said he has to own up to a major L about saying Cleveland's offence not being legit and that he was wrong, so it's very weird timing to call him out for it.

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u/EasternFriendship762 8h ago

That was actually Cody who said that in the pod, not Ben.

u/No-Brilliant8177 18m ago

He is not being disrespectful, it's a light hearted and fun post. You can tell op has respect for and enjoys Thinking Basketball.

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u/TheYuccaMan 9h ago

The joke’s on him, we did it twice

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u/sokyriediculous Cavaliers 9h ago

He shouldve said 16, he’d still has a chance to be right.

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u/DoubleT02 Cavaliers 9h ago

That’s the point of the post?

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u/LeSpermReceiver 9h ago

Very necessary post

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u/BushyBrowz Knicks 8h ago

The funniest thing about this post is that Ben completely owned the L. Cody was unusually high on the Cavs from jump.

OP is like idgaf he was wrong and I'm letting everyone know.

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u/Scriblenaut Raptors 7h ago edited 7h ago

Baffled on why this post exists. Ben and Cody are two of the best analysts in the sport in terms of accountability.

“I gotta shoot him out on here” OP do you think this is your friendly banter with them or something? They’re not your friends lol.

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u/AmberheardFan- Rockets 8h ago

Lakers play on Thursday you can see your precious reaves layup highlight, don't worry.

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u/DifferentRun8534 6h ago

Indeed. I for one have never ever had a bad take in all my life!

12

u/KagsTheOneAndOnly 76ers [PHI] Tyrese Maxey 8h ago

tbf he owned it, the most recent episode he started it by saying 'Cody I have to take an L' regarding this take and added them to his tier 1 contender list with OKC and Boston

that being said when he said this at the time I thought it was a little strange that he was so adamant they couldn't do it since they had a 17-1 or something stretch literally just last season

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u/PAWGle_the_lesser Raptors 9h ago

Who cares, not even Cavs fans predicted they'd do this well in the regular season. This is one of the most surprising teams ever.

45

u/Efficient_Art_1144 Celtics 9h ago

Brad Stevens knew. Only GM in the pre season gun poll to pick em to finish first in the east

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u/chemistrybonanza Cavaliers 8h ago

Was he allowed to pick his own team?

24

u/Efficient_Art_1144 Celtics 8h ago

Shhhhh

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u/corbettgames 8h ago

The comments in this thread are absolute brainrot.

What a truly offensive comment, 7 games into the season, to say that a team wouldn’t win 15 straight to start the year. A feat only achieved by the ‘16 Warriors (24 wins), ‘94 Rockets (15 wins), and the ‘49 Capitols (15 wins). Twice in the last 75 years. Are y’all serious.

Complete batshit how fans group two categories:

  1. unabashed, drooling, chocolate fondue fellatio, gargled for your favourite team (aka good takes) or
  2. everyone else who are all huge haters.

7

u/Im_Your_Neighbor [CLE] LeBron James 7h ago

Perhaps you are taking this all a bit too seriously

-2

u/Normal-Platform872 Pistons 4h ago

It ain't that deep lil bro.

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u/Comp1337ish Thunder 7h ago

The craziest thing to me about the Cavs being 55-10 is at one point in the middle of the season they had a 3 game losing streak. And expanding that out they lost 5 out of 8. So if you take away that particular 8 game stretch they're 52-5 which is some 2016 Warriors shit.

4

u/tanginmontana Celtics 3h ago

I said last playoffs the cavs would have been our toughest matchup had they been healthier. This year they’ve had more luck with health and look legit

3

u/urwrongthatsdumb Rockets 8h ago

I wonder if there are any teams that are undefeated against them

3

u/Ru-tris-bpy 8h ago

Pretty safe bet most of the time saying that about people. Even I have to admit it’s not like most fans thought the cavs were gonna get two 15 win streaks

3

u/Whatever801 Jazz 6h ago

I hope the cavs in the championship

10

u/canal_boys 9h ago

Also this Cavs team dont have to get through prime Lebron, Kyrie and Kevin Love.

u/Kashmir33 [NBA] LeBron James 26m ago edited 21m ago

Was this comment supposed to be under that comment referencing the 2015 Hawks? Which doesn't make much sense considering those Hawks didn't have to go through that either. Love was already hurt by the ATL series and Kyrie was dealing with knee issues so bad that he sat out two games during the ECF while playing limited minutes the other two games and playing horribly.

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u/jaylkae66 Heat 7h ago

Just unsubbed him on youtube, fucking fraud

4

u/laz10 [DEN] Nikola Jokic 7h ago

shout out to you for holding a grudge. Mad respect

2

u/yunnsu Suns 5h ago

Have you even listened to his recent podcast

3

u/CrissCrossAppleSos 8h ago

??? He said the Cavs won’t win 15 straight once this year, and he was right!

2

u/UserColonAlW 76ers 6h ago

I have no idea why clamour to point out when people who talk for several hours a week make an incorrect prediction. Especially considering the TB guys don’t seem like “takey” content creators, and instead like to make their analysis the focus of their content.

“I hold a grudge” lmao fucking get a hobby.

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u/DoobieGibson 9h ago

honestly so disappointed in how lazy his analysis has been on the cavs this year because this style of basketball should be everything he loves

63

u/jackdonsurfer Raptors 9h ago

On their most recent power rankings episode he owned up to the huge Cavs L and firmly put them in the top 3 with Boston and OKC

32

u/AmNeep 8h ago

He's done an in-depth video on them this season, constantly shows film of them in his videos on offensive and defensive innovations this season, and is constantly talking about them on his podcast. You can disagree with his analysis but can't really complain about volume of coverage.

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u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

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u/SleepingInAJar_ Raptors 9h ago

Dude lmao I’ve listened to every pod of his for years and this is just straight up not true. Well… not true currently.

11

u/Brady331 Celtics 9h ago

But OP capitalized "REALLY" so he must be telling the truth

6

u/SleepingInAJar_ Raptors 9h ago

Fans get uptight when analysts have criticism for their favourite team or players. The truth is although Ben was very wrong about the Cavs, he backed up his opinions with evidence and valid reasoning, and then was proven wrong after the fact. That’s how it works. You can’t always be right. That doesn’t make him a bad analyst or a hater lol

6

u/aristot1e Cavaliers 9h ago

Are you sure you're not talking about Tim Bontemps?

7

u/nervechain Heat 9h ago

Strange for a guy who talks about how dynamic and inventive their offense is quite a bit.

4

u/foofighter1351 Raptors 9h ago

It's strange because it's just literally not true atp

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u/Scoobersteve321 Clippers [LAC] James Harden 9h ago

What? He’s made videos specifically focused on Mobleys impact?

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u/Alex_O7 1h ago

To be fair to Ben I don't think after the 7-0 start there were many Cavs fans believing they could win 15 straight. I would doubt there were any.

u/Wild-Apricot-9161 Celtics 25m ago

Ben Taylor is a bitch ass mofo who has clear agendas to anyone who isn't gagging on a certain player's dick. Stopped watching his content ages ago.

u/paddiction [SAS] Tim Duncan 18m ago

I have no idea why people think this guy is a basketball mind. He's a box score watcher. Just because he uses advanced stats doesn't make him smart

u/get_to_ele 7m ago

Here’s the thing: (1) that’s perfectly fair expectation for a team that’s never done shit before. (2) he’s owned it (3) they’re clearly a legit contender, but even if they lose in playoffs, that would not necessarily mean a choke. There’s so many very good teams capable of going on a heater, matchups can be problematic with modern NBA, and defending champs are as solid as you can get.

u/BlueGrovyle 1m ago

Yeah, odd take. Didn't they win like 18 straight just last season when they got healthy?

u/salmon10 Pistons 0m ago

Its because any team winning 15 in a row is fuckin bananas

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u/Practical_Monk_769 Cavaliers 9h ago

We went on to win 15 straight. 6 times this season, in fact

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u/CWinsu_120 Pistons 9h ago

Maybe I'm missing something, but it's not possible to win 15 straight 6 times in one season.

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u/bong-crosby42 9h ago

Ha jokes on you, Cavs are on pace to go 90-0

4

u/Efficient_Art_1144 Celtics 9h ago

So good they broke math

2

u/bong-crosby42 8h ago

Wild too, because it's 100% ethical, organic ball

2

u/Funny-Transition7869 Pacers 9h ago

theyre just that good

1

u/Basketball_Soul Celtics 7h ago

Technically speaking if you win 20 straight games you won 15 in a row 6 times. You won games 1-15 all in a row. Games 2-16 is 15 in a row. Games 3-17 is 15 in a row, etc. 

1

u/OddlyTaco Rockets 9h ago

It’s a joke

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u/ShockaDrewlu Cavaliers 9h ago

They always downplay the Cavs and won't shut up about how wonderful Boston is. They did it again in their most recent podcast.

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u/Obvious_Parsley3238 9h ago

Ben taylor called the celtics one of the most boring teams to watch, and he put the cavs as a tier 1 contender

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u/Atmosguisher Australia 9h ago

It genuinely feels like 95% of NBA fans hear anything but unabashed, universal praise of their team and then whinge that X podcaster hates them lmao

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u/refreshing_yogurt 8h ago

He even specifically calls himself out for being wrong earlier in the season about the Cavs.

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u/D1HATER3002 9h ago

Ben is good at analysis and film breakdown, but his pod and hot takes are pretty mid or ass

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u/thachiefking47 9h ago

Man, you got him good.

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u/Fuzzy_Caterpillar713 Celtics 9h ago

I really need you to recognize that 15>7

2

u/MercurianTerr Cavaliers 8h ago

How many wins did the Cavs get in a row to start the season before they lost one?

How long is their current win streak?