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During an interview with TMZ, former Los Angeles Lakers star Norm Nixon shared his take on the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and what they need to prove.
“They’re the real deal because they’re winning a lot of games, but until they win, until they can prove they can win on the big stage, then that’s the hesitation,” he said.
The Cavs, who have lost each of their last four games, are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 56-14 record this season. Cleveland has a five-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the conference.
The Cavs have been a dominant team at home, winning 30 of their 35 games there, and they would have home-court advantage in every Eastern Conference playoff series if they were to finish with the No. 1 seed.
Nixon, a two-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion during his playing career, certainly knows what it takes to win a title.
Since the Cavs have not had a ton of playoff success in the Donovan Mitchell era, it makes sense that Nixon wants to see the team prove that it can win at the highest level this season.
Cleveland is about to taste the playoffs for a third straight year. However, it has only won one playoff series in that stretch.
The Cavs lost to the New York Knicks in five games in the first round of the playoffs in the 2022-23 season despite being the No. 4 seed in the East.
Then, last season, they needed seven games to escape the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs (once again as the No. 4 seed). In the second round of the playoffs, Cleveland was knocked out in just five games by the Celtics, who went on to win the title.
The Cavs are hoping that the changes they’ve made and their regular-season success in the 2024-25 campaign will help them get over the hump in the playoffs.
Cleveland still needs to finish the regular season strong to avoid potentially losing the No. 1 spot in the East to Boston. The Cavs are in action on Sunday against the Utah Jazz.
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