NBA Standings 2017: Cavaliers Gaining On Celtics, Rockets And Warriors Lead West

It was just three was weeks ago that the Cleveland Cavaliers trailed the New York Knicks by 15 points in the fourth quarter of their game at Madison Square Garden, about to fall two games below .500 and out of the early playoff picture. LeBron James led one of the young season’s most memorable comebacks, and the defending Eastern Conference champions have been on a roll ever since.

The win in New York was victory No.2 of the Cavs’ current 12-game winning streak. The team has climbed all the way up to the No.2 seed in the conference, trailing only the Boston Celtics (21-4), Houston Rockets (18-4) and Golden State Warriors (19-6) in the entire 2017-2018 NBA standings.

Most of the credit, of course, goes to LeBron James, who is still clearly the world’s best basketball player in year No.15. It’s a title he’s held for a decade straight, and he’s somehow shown no signs of slowing down while the rest of his peers have entered different phases of their careers.

Carmelo Anthony, who was drafted just two selections after James in 2003, is the third-best player on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dwyane Wade, taken four picks after James, has transformed himself into a Sixth Man of the Year candidate for his play with the Cavs.

Wade has been an important part of Cleveland’s resurgence, averaging 18.4 points over his last nine games. The shooting guard is making a career-high 35.7 percent of his three-pointers, and Kyle Korver leads the team by shooting 43.5 percent from behind the arc.

But it’s been James that has the Cavs back in the hunt for the conference’s best record. The four-time MVP winner could very well end up winning the award for the fifth time.

James is third in the NBA in both scoring (28.0 ppg) and assists (8.5 apg). His remarkable 58.4 field goal percentage is seventh in the league, and he averages more than twice as many points as any player that ranks ahead of him in that category. James is making 41.6 percent of the 4.7 threes he shoots per contest.

Kevin Love is second on the Cavs with 19.2 points per game and first with 10.4 rebounds per game. Isaiah Thomas, whom Cleveland received in return for Kyrie Irving, still hasn’t played because of a hip injury.

Irving now stands in the way of James and the East’s No.1 seed. The point guard will get MVP consideration of his own as he leads the Celtics with 23.5 points and 1.54 steals per game. Boston has won 21 of their last 23 games, and they are 3.5 games ahead of Cleveland.

Missing out on the No.1 seed in the East wouldn't be anything new for James. Cleveland finished behind Boston in the standings last year, only to defeat the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs didn’t have home-court advantage in 2015 when they swept the Atlanta Hawks on their way to the NBA Finals.

Boston might be the most formidable Eastern Conference foe that James has faced since his days with the Miami Heat. As long as he continues to play this well, Cleveland will remain the heavy favorite in the East.

James has played in every NBA Finals since 2011.