No team could stop the Boston Celtics during the 2023-24 season. They dominated everyone who stood in their path. As a result, many believed they would steamroll the competition in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future. But Tim Legler believes that is no longer the case. He confidently attests that the Cleveland Cavaliers are not a team to look over, even going as far as claiming they have what it takes to upset the defending NBA champions.
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Legler’s praise for the Cavaliers isn’t surprising in the slightest. Cleveland is currently the best team in the East by a sizeable margin. They have a six-game lead over the Celtics for the top seed in the conference, which is also the best record in the entire league.
Their offensive and defensive dominance is the perfect catalyst to oppose the perfectly constructed Celtics. On ESPN’s Get Up, Legler passionately stood behind the Cavaliers as a concerning threat to the Celtics on live television. “The Cavaliers are legit,” he said.
“This is a team that lost in the second round last year to the Celtics,” he continued. “This is a significantly better team and I think they’re absolutely looking the Celtics dead in the eye.”
"The Cavaliers are legit. … They're absolutely looking the Celtics dead in the eye."
—@LegsESPN on the Cavs being a legit threat to the Celtics pic.twitter.com/jdM4K2N1Lo
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 24, 2025
Legler was already a fan of the Cavaliers for the majority of the season but he credits their acquisition of De’Andre Hunter for solidifying his faith. Hunter gives the Cavaliers much-needed wing depth to match up against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in a potential seven-game series.
On the other end of the court, Hunter complements Cleveland’s play style. He is a 40.4% three-point shooter this season and is shooting 52% from three in five games with the Cavs.
Hunter wasn’t the only player Legler shed light on. He also mentioned backup point guard Ty Jerome’s ascension to one of the best bench players in the NBA. Cavs big man Evan Mobley also received praise for finally making the All-Star jump that many were waiting for.
The Cavaliers are hungry to win a championship
This is the first time the Cavaliers have been this good without LeBron James on the roster. They endured a few years of disappointment but have learned from those experiences. As a result, the team is hungrier than ever to win a title.
Star point guard Darius Garland is one of the team’s leaders who are leading by example.
“We’re hungry for a championship,” Garland said. “We’re going for it. I think we have the talent, the coaching staff is ready and locked in and so are we.”
The Cavs aren’t tiptoeing around considering themselves a contender. They want it to be known that this team has championship aspirations. The Cavaliers are on pace to be a serious problem in the playoffs and look to win the second championship in franchise history.
