Cleveland Cavaliers: How They Fare Against the West

Much like the National League does in baseball, the Eastern Conference in basketball isn't given as much credit until it squares off with its bigger, badder, more talented counterpart. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it isn't any different. And it shouldn't be. When the Cavaliers barreled into the NBA Finals two seasons ago, it was surprising. Even fans can tell you, any team with Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic in the starting lineup isn't likely to be the favorite. The talk leading up to the Finals was how the Cavs had a 19-11 record against the West that year. That included a 2-0 mark against their opponent, the Spurs. That obviously didn't matter much. The Spurs didn't miss a beat, sweeping the Cavs. But putting things into perspective, the Cavs have put together a pretty nice record against the mighty West. Last year it was a 17-13 record, including splits with the Spurs, Mavericks and Jazz. The Cavs swept the series with the upstart Blazers, as well as the conference-champion Lakers.  ... (link)