We’ve been through the Western Conference. We’ve looked at the contenders who might catch the Warriors short, drop them out of the playoffs before they make it back to a fourth straight Finals series (something that only Celtics, Lakers and Heat have ever previously accomplished). But they might not be alone in joining that elite group, the Cleveland Cavaliers would also be playing their fourth straight Finals if they get through their conference. And LeBron James would be playing his eighth in a row.

That’s assuming they get through that conference though, don’t wanna skip over that point. There are a few different teams that could possibly be waiting for the defending champs if they get back to the big stage, it’s not only LeBron James out there.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Yeah, these jokers. Same ones that competed in the last three NBA Finals against the Warriors, even winning the damned thing in 2016. The perennial rivals and, along with the Rockets, the team built most specifically to topple them.

Also in their favour: LeBron James. As he showed once again in an overtime win over the Timberwolves a week ago, a team with LeBron in it is a team that can win any particular game. Doing so over seven games in a Finals series is a lot harder but he’s done it before.

These current Cavs are very different from the 2016 Champs. These are the players who remain at the Cavaliers not even two years later: LeBron James, Kevin Love, JR Smith and Tristan Thompson. Only four of them. Immediately following that Wolves win they remade the roster all over again, bringing in Rodney Hood, George Hill, Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson to stop the bleeding before the heartbeat of their season stopped once and for all. They were on the verge of mutiny, nobody was defending, nobody was enjoying it. Absolute chaos.

Well, give Koby Altman a pat on the back because with the four new additions in tow they’ve won all three games heading into the break. All three were road wins too, including very impressive wins over the Celtics and Thunder. Small sample size alert applies here but the Cavs have scored almost 15 more points per 100 possessions with the new blokes in tow, while also tightening up that defence. There didn’t seem to be any settling in period despite the player turnover, with Tyron Lue’s lot immediately melding in to a clinical offence. They very deliberately got younger and better from the three-point line, which helps everything, but they also got their passion back. Guys are chipping in with the one-percenters. It’s all been exciting so far.

They also have added flexibility now, as we saw with a skilled fella like Nance marking up on Steven Adams in the fourth quarter against OKC. Adams had bossed the lot of them, dominating Tristan Thompson for rebounds, but once they chucked Nance on him at the end, that all dried up. Adams didn’t have a single 4Q rebound after grabbing 17 in the first three. Between Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, JR Smith, George Hill and Kyle Korver they’ve got edge shooters all over the show to mix and match and we’re starting to see Cedi Osman get more minutes too. Once Kevin Love comes back they’ll be able to go small and fast with LeBron at PF without sacrificing shooting as they get at Golden State’s Death Lineup.

Lots of time left for this to go wrong, for shooters to go cold and personalities to clash… but so far so good. The Cavs are back in the race.

BOSTON CELTICS

The Brad Stevens Era has been hyped up from the start however up until last season he’d never won a playoff series. What he had done in the meantime was build a genuine system, like the Spurs, like the Warriors, in which players happily buy in and embrace their roles, a system which enables fringe players to reach their ultimate potentials (just quietly, and there were a multitude of reasons for this, but how much worse were Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder in Cleveland? Or how about Avery Bradley since he left Boston, all three have since been traded again after leaving Boston).

Then there’s Danny Ainge’s sorcery in the GM’s office which landed him Kyrie Irving for absolutely nothing they weren’t willing to give away. That Brooklyn pick? Best case scenario is that they get a guy like Kyrie Irving with it. This was they already get Irving without having to develop him, he’s ready to go and with a point to prove. Well, Irving’s been pretty superb this season. Slightly overrated because of his fourth quarter heroics but that’s all good according to the Celtics because late-game offence was the thing they most needed. The rest of the framework was there already, just had to get someone who’d turn close defeats into wins. Kyrie Irving once dropped the crucial winner in game seven of the Finals. Against the Warriors. Bingo.

Al Horford’s the secret weapon. He’s a big fella with a fully rounded skillset and one of the smartest players out there. Watch the way he runs the two-man stuff with Irving, it’s poetry. Then there are the two young guns playing well beyond their ages in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, bringing some size to the wings. Aron Baynes is having a great season. They just grabbed Greg Monroe off the buyout slab. Seven different players are averaging double figure scoring. They’re still the best defensive team in the NBA. All without Gordon Hayward as well.

Yet after 16 straight wins earlier in the season (16-2), they’re currently on a run of 6-8 run, including big defeats to Eastern rivals Toronto and Cleveland. Hard to say why that is, but the NBA season is a long one. Complacency can set in and with the Celtics playing it pretty chill while others have gone fishing for a spark to relight their season (Cavs most of all), you can understand if they’ve eased up just a tiny bit in effort and desire.

They beat the Warriors at home back in the midst of their long winning streak, keeping them to a mere 88 points. Curry and Thompson were a combined 8/32 from the field. The Warriors got revenge three weeks ago as Steph Curry bagged 49 points (outshooting Kyrie’s 37) in a 109-105 GSW win despite the Celtics leading 37-27 after 1Q.

Clearly they’ve gotten the best of Klay, who was 3/12 (interesting because it was Kyrie left with defending him quite often). No doubt that the Celtics, with their versatile roster and innovative coach, can cause the Warriors some issues. Doubtful that they have the offence to fly with them if KD, Steph and Klay all get going but defensively they’ve got as good a chance as anyone at preventing that.

First off, they’ve gotta get through an increasingly dangerous East unscathed. Hmm…

TORONTO RAPTORS

The Wizards and the Bucks are the only other two teams who seem to have any chance of winning the East, though between John Wall’s injury and Jason Kidd’s sacking that seems like a longshot. A fully fit Wizards team has been an exciting prospect this season but they don’t have the bench to stick with the Warriors while the Bucks would need Giannis Antentokounmpo to average like 40 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists to beat the Dubs four times… which isn’t impossible but it’s not worth giving over to any bigger of an explanation.

The Raptors, on the other hand, they hit the break on a seven-game winning streak and have pushed their way to the top of the conference. DeMar DeRozan continues to ball like the All Star that he is with 24.0 PPG including some real clinchers late in games, while Kyle Lowry’s made for an able ally and they’ve gotten great contributions from guys like Serge Ibaka, CJ Miles, Jonas Valanciunas and Fred VanVleet.

The Raptors have famously struggled in the playoffs recently, their two leaders most of all, but they’ve shaped this team in that knowledge. Dwane Casey’s side has gotten younger and more exciting (rookie OG Anunoby is more than just a great name) as well as reinvigorating those overused but underrated descriptors: culture and chemistry – which begins with the inclusive attitudes of Lowry and DeRozan, btw. Nobody’s really dominating the stats beneath those two but that’s because everyone’s contributing something of value, all the way down the roster (how good’s that bench been!?). The Raptors are fourth in the NBA for offensive rating and third ranked in defensive ranking. Impressive shot selection, minimal turnovers, committed defence… all the things you want to see.

As to how that matches against the champs though, that’s another question. Twice they’ve played GSW this season, losing only by a combined seven points. They won’t play them again unless they both make the Finals.

Most recent was a game a month ago when the Dubs came out and dropped 43 points in the opening quarter and 81 all up in the first half. Solid, dependable basketball almost always beats the worst teams but the Warriors are no regular beast. You cannot allow a team to shoot 71% in the first half and still expect to win. And this was in Toronto, mate.

Having said that, Kyle Lowry was out injured and even still the Raptors brought it all the way back. VanVleet drilled a three with a little under four minutes remaining and stunningly they were only one point down. They were back to within one with a minute left thanks to DDR. But DeRozan missed from 18-feet with the chance to go ahead and CJ Miles missed a three for the tie with 11 secs remaining. DeRozan ripped the refs afterwards. They caught the Warriors both red hot and then sloppy and lazy. They almost forced a miracle on the back of DeRozan’s 42 points. Do Lowry and a couple favourable calls enable four wins out of seven in the Finals? Probably not, considering it all. But you never know.

THE LEAST OF THE EAST

Washington Wizards – The Wiz are still contenders in the East. Get John Wall back and he and Bradley Beal are a duo to be reckoned with, for sure. Very hard to see them doing anything when they still don’t have a bench though. Against the Celtics, Raptors or Cavs but especially against the Warriors who never have to play a second they don’t want to without either Steph Curry, Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson on the court.

Milwaukee Bucks – A-N-T-E-T-O-K-O-U-N-M-P-O. That is all. But by the time they ride the Greek Freak all the way to the Finals, he’s bound to be too exhausted to defend three guys at once and still run the floor.

Indianapolis Pacers – Pacers but still not Pacey enough. Guts to Victor Oladipo.

Philadelphia 76ers – It would be amazing to watch Joel Embiid play against Draymond Green in a Finals series. Oh hell yeah. Hard to see it going past four games though.

Detroit Pistons – Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond give them something to work with but let’s be honest.

Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic & Atlanta Hawks:

Cheers to you for reading The Niche Cache. Before you go, just smack an ad to support the TNC Revolution.