Are LeBron and the Cavs Title Bound?

After reeling off their 12th straight win against the New Jersey Nets (which is not particularly impressive, but they are an NBA team), the Cleveland Cavaliers are comfortably perched atop the Eastern Conference with a 42-11 record. They have lost six fewer games than Boston, Orlando and Atlanta, placing them in control of their Eastern Conference playoff fate. Cleveland has also lost two fewer games than the Western Conference counterparts, the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Cleveland will welcome Leon Powe's playoff experience with open arms.

Right now, the Cavs are on pace for a 65-17 season…barely off of the 66-16 record that they posted last year. But I would contend that this year’s edition of the Cavs is indeed better than last year’s. While I certainly will admit that there ned to be some notable changes to their roster, Cleveland should be in a better position when playoff time comes this year (compard to last year).

Here are my reasons why they should be more successful:

Better big man rotation: While Shaquille O’Neal is not as productive as we are used to seeing, he makes a big difference for Cleveland. Why? Well, in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, two Magic players provided the major matchup problems: Hedo Turkoglu (who is now out of the picture, playing for the Raptors) and Dwight Howard. Howard was a man-child against the Cavs. He simply used his brute strength to overpower whoever was guarding him.

Since Howard’s offensive repoitre remains extremely limited, a healthy O’Neal should easily curtail Howard’s effectiveness. Spelling O’Neal with Andersen Varajeo (who was Howard’s primary defender last season) would then provide the Cavaliers with a more effective two-headed monster to stop Orlando’s new Superman.

Cleveland also has improved second-year forward J.J. Hickson poised to make an impact this time around. Injured reserve forward Leon Powe figures to be a substantial addition to the Cavs’ frontcourt. Powe has proven that he can score off the bench, and has playoff experience (as a key member of the 2007-2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics). He is expected to return to the Cleveland lineup in mid-February, which should give him ample time to get in a comfort zone with his teammates.

Jamario Moon adds versatility to the Cavs' roster.

More player versatility: Against opponents with versatile wing players (Orlando, Atlanta), the Cavs have better matchup capability. Last year’s roster had the inconsistent Aleksandar Pavlovic, and defensive liability Wally Szczerbiak. While Pavlovic was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde whenever he stepped on the floor, the Cavs couldn’t get Szczerbiak to move fast enough laterally to contain a turtle.

Anthony Parker’s reputation as a defensive workhorse is fairly well known – just as Kobe Bryant about the Christmas day game – he has also shot 45% from the three-point line. 6’8″ swingman Jamario Moon gives the Cavs more length and athleticism on the perimeter. In limited playing time, rookie Danny Green has demonstrated his ability to make plays and knock down the occasional jumper.

More confidence: The Cavs seem to be at a point where they are confident that they can defeat any foe. In a true oddity, they have both the best home (23-3) and road (19-8) records in the NBA – meaning that they treat every game equally no matter the venue. After bashing the Lakers on Christmas Day, the Cavaliers have posted a 19-3 mark – including another win over Kobe and company. And Cleveland only lost those three games by a total of 6 points.

So, I’d say that now, more than ever before, LeBron has his shot at bringing some hardware to Cleveland. But only time will tell us if his destiny is bound to be fulfilled in Cleveland.