Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA Championship Odds Hinge on LeBron James

The Cavaliers’ NBA title hopes come down to just how good LeBron James can be. Just like old times.

When James bolted from the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he made it clear that sure, he wanted to come back to where it all started, but the focus was always on winning another NBA championship. That’s why Cleveland traded No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins to the Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love.

While the trio of LeBron, Love and Kyrie Irving had its moments in the regular season, helping Cleveland to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, it’s a whole new ballgame now that Love is out for the year with a dislocated shoulder he suffered in the first round.

Sports Interaction’s NBA Playoff Championship odds

Now, Irving is a star in his own right, but it’s really up to LeBron James to keep Cleveland’s season going. After getting a split at home, the Cavs head into Game 3 as a 2-point underdog at Chicago. That’s the short-term situation.

Looking down the road, the Cavs are now +350 to win the NBA championship after opening the playoffs as the favorites. Now, it’s the Golden State Warriors who top the odds board at +125. Without Love, who’s expected to miss the rest of the season, everything has changed.

“For me, I had to change my approach tonight knowing how shorthanded we are and be ultra-aggressive,” James said after leading Cleveland to a Game 2 victory with 33 points. “Kyrie (Irving) wanted me to be ultra-aggressive, which I’m not accustomed to doing, especially taking that many shots. I’ve never been a high-volume shooter. But I have to respond to my teammates. What my teammates want me to do, I try to succeed at doing it. This is a change of mindset for myself, and I have to do it if that’s what my guys want me to do.”

The question remains if James can keep that up long term. He sat out a bunch of games with knee and back issues during the regular season and played just over 36 minutes per game – lowest in his career. That’s probably helped him in averaging 26.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.3 steals through six playoff games.

Now, this can go one of two ways: 1) James finds an extra level after taking more time off the court this season and carries Cleveland to the Finals or 2) He has too much wear and tear on his body to fight through the double and triple-team coverage that’s coming.

Either way, Cleveland’s NBA title chances depend on LeBron James, just as they always have.