CLEVELAND- The (29-20) Cleveland Cavaliers extended their win streak to ten games after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 106-90 Friday.
Due to their recent loss to the Phoenix Suns, their 8-9 mark in January and the Cavs sudden hot streak, the Bulls are not careful, the Cavaliers could overtake them, and quickly.
The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls (30-19) are losing their once strong grip quickly. The Cavs are just one game back and with their upcoming schedule looking rather favorable with one exception in the visiting (33-15) Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, could pull to win half a game of the idle Bulls.
The Cavs play against the one team that Cleveland fans may hate the most in the Miami Heat on February 11th. The Heat defeated the Cavs on Christmas day, 101-91. However, the Cavs are much stronger after recent trades to acquire three-point specialist J.R. Smith, defensive monster in the paint in Timofey Mosgov and a lockdown wing defender in Ian Shumpert.
It’s all too easy to see that the Cavs team chemistry has improved drastically. The “Big Three” consisting of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Love have meshed perfectly after several long months.
The Cavs have a golden opportunity to settle the debate of which team is truly the king of the division, as they face the Bulls on February 12th. With the Cavs already winning against the Bulls twice, 114-108 and 108-94, the Bulls need this game more than Cleveland.
If the Cavs win, they will not only improve to 3-0 against them, but give them even more confidence going into the second half of the season.
With these last two games before the All-Star break against both Miami and Chicago being vital, they will be the perfect measuring stick to see how far the Cavs have developed as a team.