The Cleveland Cavaliers have a remarkable 28-4 record following their 113-95 win over the Golden State Warriors. The win marks seven in a row for the first-place Cavs, and their eighth straight win against the Western Conference to open the season. The West has typically dominated the East in the past 25 years, but Cleveland is breaking that trend with its win streak against the conference.
Cavs Dominance Spreading to the West
Across the last 25 NBA seasons, the Western Conference has had a winning record against the East in 22 seasons. But since acquiring Donovan Mitchell in 2022, the Cavs have been a remarkable 42-26 against the West in the stretch. The Cavaliers has notched a winning record in each of the past two seasons against the conference and are on track to do so again this year.
Western Dominance
The Western Conference has been strong this season with 10 teams at .500 or above this season so far. Comparatively, the Eastern Conference has just seven. A lot of that has to do with the inter-conference dominance by the West. The Boston Celtics are a solid 23-9 and occupy the second seed out East but have just a 2-2 record against West foes this season. Of the seven teams with a winning record in the East, Cleveland is one of four teams with a winning record against the West (Knicks, Bucks, and Heat).
Now the Cavs have been dominant against everyone so far this season, not just the West. But it is worth noting as the Celtics had a strong record at 23-6 against the West last year en route to an NBA title.
This year’s Western Conference is potentially even better than the West which finished with a .577 win rate against the East last year. The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best teams in the league at 26-5, playing the majority of their season without star player Chet Holmgren. Additionally, the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Mavericks have started the year strong and will be contenders come the spring.
Cavaliers Record Against The West
The Cavs are currently on a four-game Western Conferende road trip and sit 2-0 with a game to come against the Lakers. Cleveland has the eighth-hardest strength of schedule for the rest of the year with several major Western Conference matchups. Upcoming, they play the top-seeded Thunder twice on January 8 and 16, before playing the Timberwolves, Suns, and Rockets (twice) at the end of January.
In total, the Cavs have 22 more games against Western Conference opponents. If they can match or better Boston’s record from last season, they will be in great shape to keep hold of the first seed in the East.
The Last Word
The Cavs are on pace for over 70 wins currently with their 28-4 record. A difficult end of the season will be a major test as the team looks to hold on to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland’s regular season success in recent seasons has been in large part due to their solid record against the Western Conference. A falter will not determine the Cavs season if they drop a couple of games in their next stretch of tough matchups, but winning will set the standard. Cleveland has a chance to prove themselves as championship favorites by continuing their stellar regular season.
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