The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the middle of their most promising stretch since the LeBron James era-and that’s no small statement. For a franchise that’s spent much of its history in the NBA’s basement, what we’re seeing now is a legitimate resurgence.
The last time Cleveland fans felt this kind of hope, No. 23 was leading the charge. But this time, the Cavs are doing it without him-and in a much tougher Eastern Conference.
To understand just how far the Cavaliers have come, you have to go back to the post-LeBron years following his first departure in 2010. The team was reeling.
Cleveland bottomed out fast, stringing together three straight seasons with fewer than 25 wins. But the 2011 NBA Draft brought a glimmer of hope in the form of Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 overall pick and the first real building block of the post-LeBron rebuild.
By the 2013-14 season, the Cavs had climbed to a 33-49 record. Not exactly playoff material, but compared to the previous three years, it felt like progress.
Then everything changed. LeBron came back.
With his return in 2014, Cleveland didn’t just become a better team-they became the team in the East. The Cavaliers instantly transformed into title contenders, and for the next four years, they were the class of the conference. Four straight trips to the NBA Finals, all against the Golden State Warriors, cemented their place in league history.
And while those Cavs teams were undeniably talented-LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin Love, and a deep supporting cast-former GM David Griffin recently reminded us of another key factor that played into their dominance: the Eastern Conference just wasn’t that strong.
“One of the things we benefited from was we were in a historically bad Eastern Conference,” Griffin said on BigPlay Sports Network. “All through those years, we really knew the target was the Western Conference team.”
He’s not wrong. During that run, the Cavaliers rarely faced a serious threat in the East.
Toronto had some strong regular seasons, even finishing with the top seed at times, but couldn’t get past Cleveland when it mattered. The 2015 Atlanta Hawks won 60 games and looked like a juggernaut-until the Cavs swept them out of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Griffin, who built that championship roster by pulling off key trades for Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert, understood the landscape. The Cavaliers were built to beat the West, because the East simply didn’t have a team that could match up.
Fast forward to today, and the picture looks very different.
This current version of the Cavaliers, led by Donovan Mitchell, is navigating an Eastern Conference that’s far deeper and more competitive than it was a decade ago. The days of coasting through the East are over.
The Boston Celtics are legit. The New York Knicks have taken a step forward.
The Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and others are all in the mix. There’s no clear path to the Finals anymore-every round is a battle.
“This Cavs team, with Donovan, is trying to do what they’re doing in an Eastern Conference that is significantly more competitive than what we had,” Griffin said. “So just making the Finals will be significant.”
He’s right again. Just getting there would be a major accomplishment.
The Cavaliers are coming off a disappointing playoff run, but they’ve doubled down on their commitment to winning now. The recent trade that sent Darius Garland out and brought James Harden in is a bold move-one that signals they're not content with being a nice story. They want to win.
And while a championship remains the ultimate goal, Griffin made it clear that simply reaching the Finals in today’s Eastern Conference would be a statement. This isn’t the LeBron era, where the Cavs could look past the East and focus on the Warriors. This team has to fight for every inch-and that makes their journey all the more compelling.
The bar is high, the road is tougher, and the stakes are real. But for the first time in years, Cleveland basketball matters in February-and that’s worth paying attention to.