Biggest threat to the Cavs in the East?

No matter how poorly the Cavs ended they still are the team to beat in the East. They still have the league's best player in LeBron James. Arguably the second best player in the conference in Kyrie. They still are defending champs and have a good supporting cast in Kevin Love, JR Smith, Tristan Thomson, Kyle Korver, Deron Williams and Richard Jefferson. The Cavs are still an offensive juggernaut with everyone besides Tristan as a threat from beyond the arc. They still deserve the benefit of the doubt and to be favoured until the NBA Finals. With all that being said, there is vulnerability.

The Cavs have been playing under .500 ball since the All star break. They have horrible on defense having one of the worst defenses in the entire league. On top of that James has been leading the league minutes, so it's not like he's been resting a lot, even though that is what it seems like. The Cavs need to get their rhythm back and start to click like a well oiled machine.  

The Raptors, Wizards and Celtics smell vulnerability and they have a chance. Which team has the best chance to knock off the Cavs and upset them? 

1. Raptors
This quite possibly is the best Raptors team ever, even though last year the team had more wins. The additions of Ibaka and Tucker are huge. They give the Raps exactly what they need. In Ibaka the Raptors get a mobile big, who can defend the rim, crash the boards but also get out of the paint and guard the pick and roll. He fills the void left by Biyambo and is exactly what the Raptors have been looking for.  In Tucker they get a scrappy defender and a 3 point shooter. A man who plays with unparalleled intensity and never takes a play off. They get another body to throw at LeBron James, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

With the new accusations and the All-Star back court of DeRozan and Lowry, they can give the Cavs a run for their money. The Raptors have the best defense out of the three teams with an interior defender unlike the Celtics. Their defense has been even better since the All-Star break with their acquisitions. They have both a top-10 offense and defense and it is a Dwane Casey team as the play style fits his coaching strengths. 

If the Raptors want to beat the Cavs: 

• First and for most they will have to defend the three point line as the Cavs are deadly and the Raptors simply can't keep up with them from beyond the arc. 
• Make open shots. Their offense is known to struggle and stall, this leads them into isolation basketball and that will not beat the Cavs. They need to move the ball and make open shots.
• Dominate the paint. Ibaka and JV have an advantage inside and need to use it. Slow the game and play their pace.
• DeMar and Kyle need to be the 2nd and 3rd best players in this series. No time for shooting slumps or bad games. The Raps rely heavily on them and they need to deliver if they stand a chance.  

I think the Raptors have a 30% chance to beat the Cavs.
  2. Wizards
After starting off the year slow, the Wizards look poised for a deep playoff run. Lead by the best guard in the East in John Wall, an All-Star level side kick in Brad Beal and terrific coach in Scott Brooks they turned their season around and will quite possibly be in Eastern Conference Finals.

The Wizards have one of the best starting lineups in the entire league and now have a decent bench to back them up. With John Wall taking his game to another level the Wizards are scary and on their day have the ability to beat anyone, but this is the playoffs and they have to beat the Cavs 4 out of 7. The advantage for the Wizards is they score. They get up and down and with Wall's ability to set people up they get high quality shots. Otto Porter has improved his game and is a great perimeter defender who might be able to challenge LeBron. The Wizards have to be able to lock down the Cavs and limit their 3 point shooting all the while not compromising their pace and space. The Cavs are the better offensive team but the Wizards aren't far behind. They have to be able to slow the Cavs down. They can't let LeBron make the others better around him. That makes the Cavs a lot more dangerous. 

If the Wizards want to beat the Cavs:

• John Wall must dominate. He is essential to this teams success on offense and defense. He needs to have a coming out party and show what he is capable of.
• Porter and Wall need to slow down James and Irving. If the Wizards can slow down this dynamic duo and force others to beat them they will have a far better chance at success.
• Dominate the inside. Gortat has the ability to outplay Thomson and Morris must keep Love a shooter. They need to control rebounding and get into the lane creating for others. Also they need to keep James and Irving out of the lane as that just opens up the entire Cavs offense.

I think the Wizards have a 15% to win.
    
3. Celtics 

The Celtics, the 1 seed in the East, led by 5'9 maestro Isaiah Thomas have the third best chance of beating the Cavs. Despite home court advantage and a brilliant young coach in Brad Stevens, it is not a favourable match up for them. In my opinion this is like LeBron's first season back in Cleveland. The Celtics would be lucky if this is not a sweep. However, let's talk about the upside, they have home court, an excellent coach and have a good defensive squad. Brad Stevens is an amazing coach. He is a top 5 coach and his ability to draw up plays and make adjustments is terrific. He has the ability to hide Thomas on defense and give him the operating room necessary to take over games. He has brilliant offensive schemes and is a huge reason for the Celtics success. The defensive ability of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart more than make up for Isaiah's defensive struggles and contribute to the Celtics being a stingy team. Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder are formidable wings who can be excellent lock down perimeter defenders and shot makers. Al Horford and Kelly Olynyk spread the floor, but are also mobile big men who have the ability to defend the pick and roll.

The Celtics were a great regular season team but struggled against the top level teams. To meet the Cavs they will need to get past Butler's Bulls, Wall's Wizards to the ECF.  They have a great home court advantage and are a smart team with high basketball IQ. To beat the Cavs:

• Thomas has to be the best offensive player in the series. The Celtics rely on him too much to crumble and will need him for the entire series
• Protect home court. LeBron has won a road game in every series he played in for a while.The Celtics must protect home court at all costs.
• Supporting cast needs to show up. Thomas might get neutralized as he's 5'9 and the supporting cast needs to create for themselves.
• Limit offensive rebounding. Tristan Thomson is a beast and the Celtics struggle rebounding. They need to keep him off the boards so the Cavs don't get 2nd chance points.

The Celtics have a 5% chance of winning.