Stephen A. Smith Delivers Wild Cleveland Cavaliers Hot Take


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The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the surprise of the league this season.

This season has been a weird one for the NBA. There are a lot of teams who have been overperforming, and fans are curious if these teams will actually be able to keep the momentum going past the All-Star break. One such squad is the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-19. The team is just a couple of wins away from becoming the best team in the entire conference, which is a huge shock to football fans.

Heading into the All-Star Game, Stephen A. Smith of First Take decided to give his take on who should have started in the Eastern Conference, and during the segment, Smith gave huge props to Darius Garland. In fact, Smith came out and said that he feels like Garland has been much better than Trae Young this season, as the Hawks continue to falter.

Stephen A. Smith

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

This wasn’t even the biggest hot take to come out of Smith’s mouth. While talking about the race for the East, Smith said that if there was any team who could be a dark horse in the postseason, it would have to be the Cavs.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers could come out of the East! They’re THAT good!” Smith said.

At this point in the season, it might be too early to say if the Cavs are really legit. After all, they could easily collapse in the second half of the season. If they don’t, however, then it will be interesting to see how this young roster answers the call.


The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the surprise of the league this season.

This season has been a weird one for the NBA. There are a lot of teams who have been overperforming, and fans are curious if these teams will actually be able to keep the momentum going past the All-Star break. One such squad is the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-19. The team is just a couple of wins away from becoming the best team in the entire conference, which is a huge shock to football fans.

Heading into the All-Star Game, Stephen A. Smith of First Take decided to give his take on who should have started in the Eastern Conference, and during the segment, Smith gave huge props to Darius Garland. In fact, Smith came out and said that he feels like Garland has been much better than Trae Young this season, as the Hawks continue to falter.

Stephen A. Smith

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

This wasn’t even the biggest hot take to come out of Smith’s mouth. While talking about the race for the East, Smith said that if there was any team who could be a dark horse in the postseason, it would have to be the Cavs.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers could come out of the East! They’re THAT good!” Smith said.

At this point in the season, it might be too early to say if the Cavs are really legit. After all, they could easily collapse in the second half of the season. If they don’t, however, then it will be interesting to see how this young roster answers the call.