Central Division
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the two team’s head-to-head regular season series with the franchise’s eighth consecutive win over Phoenix, although the first in their second post-LeBron James era.
The Suns then managed to steal a victory late in the year, tipping the balance back in favor of Phoenix – which is where I believe it will continue to lean again this season.
Granted the Cavaliers will get Kevin Love back at full health (who I still love as a player), and they added Darius Garland in the draft, however, overall the roster is an absolute mess and Cleveland is absolutely headed for another high Lottery draft pick in the summer of 2020.
While I could see the Cavaliers sneaking up on Phoenix in the second game of a back-to-back or something to that effect and stealing a game, I have to imagine that the Suns are just too far improved over last season to lose a game this year.
If the Suns do sweep them as I predict, it will be the first time since the 2012-13 season, and a one-game improvement over their head-to-head matchup last season, the kind of improvement Phoenix needs if the franchise is going to have a shot at the playoffs.