The Blazers still had LMA and Lillard.
Memphis was probably the second best team in the playoffs this year. The only team that made the Warriors sweat even a little. That series would've been a grind, as all Grizz series are, but the Cavs would have had no chance.
I'm telling you, the Cavs will be one of the weakest Finals teams in years. LeBron, injured Kyrie, Tristan Thompson, and JR Smith. That's a Conference Champion? Yuck.
Playoff seeding reform please.
Ok then. Lebron loses to those guys. Even if he's beaten OKC and SAS with gimpy Wade and 15PPG Bosh. Sure.
Wade and Bosh are better than anybody on his team now, and he also had superior complementary players backing up Wade and Bosh, as well.
In particular the 2012 team was much, much deeper than this Cavs squad.
I'm not saying the Cavs WOULD have DEFINITELY lost in the 1st round in the West. Just pointing out that it is plausible that if they were in the West, they'd have been out in the 1st round. With the exception of the Pelicans and the Mavs, any of the teams out West could have given the Cavs a tough time of it, because those teams have multiple stars.
The toughest individual opponent the Cavs have faced so far is probably Jimmy Butler. That's it.
As a result, in the East the Cavs will make it to the Finals without getting to a Game 7, despite losing one of their key guys and the second best player on the team operating at 50-75% since the second round.
It is just frustrating to see LeBron cake-walk his way to the Finals yet again without having to go mano-a-mano with another player even close to his level. He's a historically great player, but his historic greatness will be exaggerated by the fact that for much of his career there hasn't been a proper rival in the same conference. The Big Three Celtics were really the only team that pushed him in that way, and since 2012 all we've had is the Pacers, which has really been more of a tease than anything else.