The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing well. The team is almost at full strength after the returns of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert. Chemistry is building and they remain the leaders of the Eastern Conference once again. Now they plan on testing that during a Western Conference road trip where they will meet one of their top rivals in the San Antonio Spurs.
The task of beating the Spurs is tall regardless of where the two teams are playing. However, the task of beating the Spurs at home might be nearly impossible. The team has a 32-game win streak at the AT&T Center. The Cavaliers were the last team to win there, but it was 10 months ago now. The Spurs have been quiet in the Western Conference despite being 34-6 on the season. The Golden State Warriors have been taking everyone's attention on that side of the country leaving San Antonio to quietly go about their business.
The Spurs have barely been discussed and yet they are one of the best teams in the league right now. In the past four wins, they have had four different leading scorers. They are currently riding a nine-game win streak overall while holding a plus-16.1 points per game at home. Tony Parker led the way Tuesday against Detroit putting up 31 points in the win. Kwahi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan have also been leading scorer at one point. They have the type of consistency the Cavaliers are hoping to build
Cleveland are the leaders in the East per usual, but they still have a long way to go before being leaders overall. Irving's improvement will go a long way to determining the season for the Cavaliers. The point guard is still building back after missing so much time with the fractured kneecap. He is currently averaging 16.5 points per game in his last 10. He managed 22 points and nine assists against the Dallas Mavericks. He is starting to look like his old self again which is huge for Cleveland moving forward. LeBron James praised Irving and his improvement since his return. The point guard was greatly missed in the NBA Finals and the Cavaliers cannot afford to lose him again.
The Cavaliers got the best of the Spurs in their first meeting. The game went to overtime as Cleveland got the win as James put up 31 points. They will look to repeat the success.