The Cavs Have Won 19 Games & Their Preseason Win O/U was 27.5

People are freaking out about the refs in last night’s Seahawks vs. Rams game, but I agree with this guy 🤷🏽‍♂️ - let’s talk Cleveland and LA hoops 👇

If you’re not subscribed click here to sign up

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Image

The Hottest Team Around

Coming into last year’s NBA Draft, the presumption was that it was a three or four-player pool, with a major drop-off after the first few top names. Evan Mobley was pretty much a consensus third overall, behind Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green — I think the Cavs are happy with how that turned out. Of the teams who were among the first six to pick, only one of them has a winning record 👀

1. Pistons: 5-24

2. Rockets: 10-21

3. Cavaliers: 19-12

4. Raptors: 14-15

5. Magic: 6-25

6. Thunder: 10-19

The Cavs are third in the Eastern Conference, despite a preseason projected win total of 27.5 games. Their 19 wins is 70% of the projection, with just a third of the season behind us 😳

How? Why? Well, Evan Mobley is a huge part of Cleveland’s success. In his short career, his rim-protection is outperforming one of the greatest rookie centers in recent history:

• Evan Mobley’s total blocks through 25 games: 46

• Anthony Davis’ total blocks through 25 games: 44

He’s also been significantly better than the other top-four picks in terms of plus/minus:

1. Cade Cunningham (-34)

2. Jalen Green (-160)

3. Evan Mobley (+42)

4. Scottie Barnes (+8)

Context is key, but there’s no denying Mobley’s been the best rookie in his class so far 👇

2021-22 Rookie of the Year Odds

• Evan Mobley: +140 (bet $100, win $140)

• Cade Cunningham: +250

• Scottie Barnes: +300

• Jalen Green: +2000

Mobley’s currently in the COVID protocols, but that and a couple of minor injuries are the only things that have been able to slow him down

Trivia question: Since LeBron left Cleveland (this is season four), how many total wins do the Cavs have? Over or under 65? (answer below)

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

An Icy LA Winter

While the Cavs are red hot, The Clippers are on a three-game losing streak of their own. It’s the worst streak in the league, but they’re still sixth in the West, a half game ahead of the Lakers who lost last night. The Clippers are 16-15 and the Lakers 16-16, despite both their preseason win totals set at well over .500

LA Team’s Projected Win Totals

• Lakers: 52.5

• Clippers: 45.5

The Clippers could very well still reach 46 wins, but their recent skid suggests otherwise

• Despite a solid performance from Paul George, who just took sole position of 19th place on the NBA’s all-time regular season made threes leaderboard, the Clippers lost to the lowly Spurs on Monday

• They have the second-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA

The only team with a more brutal remaining slate of games is the Lakers. In order to win 53 games this season, LAL would have to win 37 of their final 51 games — a .725 clip

• That means they’d have to win out at a pace better than every team in the NBA right now, except the Suns and Warriors

Before writing them off, however, it’s worth keeping in mind just how much their rotation has been shaken up with injuries and COVID. The Lakers’ most-used lineup has played fewer possessions together than 84 other five-man lineups from around the league 😳

• While they might not win as many games as Vegas thought they would, I’m reserving judgment until I see them at full strength

Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

With the Cavs and Clippers both in action tonight against teams with a worse record, we’re going to ride a simple road favorites spread parlay 👇

• Cavs +5.5 @ Celtics: -110

• Clippers -6 @ Kings: -105

$100 on this bet would payout $273. We’ve hit two parlays in a row…just saying 😉. If this hits, first to email [email protected] gets $100* — first come, first serve 🤑

Trivia answer: The Cavs won a combined 60 games between 2018-2021 (19, 19 and 22)…but they’re currently on-pace to win 50 in this season alone