Cavs, Thunder look like title contenders in time for first matchup
A few weeks ago, things were not looking good for the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now they're playing like the title contenders most expected them to be, just in time for their first matchup since LeBron James returned to the Cavaliers.
Recent controversy surrounding James seemingly isn't distracting Cleveland, which brings its best win streak since his first stint to Oklahoma on Thursday night with the Thunder thriving since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook came back.
As good as James and his team have been lately, he's been making bigger news off the court. After Monday's win in Brooklyn, he posed for a photograph with Prince William and wife Kate, putting his hand on the Duchess of Cambridge's shoulder, but British protocol says a "commoner" - not to mention one wearing a sweat-drenched outfit - shouldn't touch members of the royal family.
With the story making international headlines Tuesday, James went out that night and scored 35 points in a 105-101 victory over Eastern Conference-leading Toronto.
It was the eighth consecutive win for the Cavaliers (13-7) - their best run since the final season of James' first tenure in 2009-10. They had previously lost four straight to fall under .500.
"I said it would take us a couple months, maybe even a few to kind of hit our stride," James said. "... But I don't really get too high or too low, I kinda stay even keel, it's such a long season. As fast as you can win five or six in a row, you can lose five or six in a row. It's a process of getting better every day and taking on the next challenge."
This should be a big one.
The Thunder (8-13) have won three straight and five of six, a span during which Durant and Westbrook returned after lengthy injury absences. Before that 5-1 stretch, Oklahoma City had the West's worst record.
"We're still trying to work some things out," Durant said. "You know, I'm sure a lot of people are expecting us to be back to playoff-type of basketball right now, but we're just like any other team, just trying to continue to just build and keep getting better."
Beating Cleveland would be a big statement considering Oklahoma City hasn't defeated any team which currently has a winning record.
Durant is coming off his best overall performance in four games since debuting after foot surgery, scoring 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds and seven assists in Tuesday's 114-101 win over Milwaukee.
"He's getting back into rhythm. He's getting back in the swing of things," said Westbrook, averaging 26.0 points in five games since missing 14 with a broken hand.
James said after Tuesday's game, in which he tied Mark Price's franchise record with 802 3-pointers, that he hasn't seen any Thunder games but is very aware how dangerous they remain.
"I haven't had an opportunity to watch them, for some odd reason it seems we've played every time they've played," he said. "... Obviously they got two of the best players in our league on one team, so they're very, very powerful at any time."
His old team and his current one have done well against the Thunder.
James is 13-4 against them since the start of 2008-09, including the five-game NBA Finals triumph with Miami in 2012. He's since won three of four meetings, averaging 33.8 points on 61.6 percent shooting.
Even without James, Cleveland is 3-2 against the Thunder over the past three seasons with two wins in Oklahoma City. Kyrie Irving and Westbrook missed the last matchup as the Cavs lost 102-95 on March 20, but Irving outscored Westbrook in the previous two with more than 30 points in each as Cleveland won both.
