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The Cavs have two 60-win seasons in their history, both requiring superhuman efforts from James. Adding a third would take something similar from the King, but this team has arguably never given him more help.
Because this is such a star-driven game, it's rare to have a positive summer when the best player who leaves is better than the best one brought on board. But this club could be the exception provided several things break in its favor, as the Ringer's Kevin O'Connor opined:
"If Thomas is the same guy who scored 28.9 points per game on a ludicrously efficient 54.6 effective field goal percentage for the Celtics last season, or at least something close to him, then Cleveland will have enough scoring diversity to beat any opponent. Love would gain confidence and renewed comfortability until Thomas returns, while LeBron would be his same old dominant self. They'd finally have their 3-and-D player in Jae Crowder. Who knows—maybe Jeff Green contributes and Rose, reinvigorated in a new environment, finds a second wind to his career."
That's quite a few ifs, but none that are too outlandish.
There are also good odds of J.R. Smith bouncing back after a season slowed by a contract holdout and a fractured thumb. His 34.6 field-goal percentage was more than seven percentage points shy of his career average (42.0), and his 35.1 three-point mark was his worst since 2011-12. Just having him be more reliable will be a huge help, considering he was fifth on the club in minutes per game last year (29.0).
Plus, the East isn't what it was last season (and it wasn't great then). Cleveland's 22nd-ranked defense won't be the same either, except that's a good thing. If Irving's absence costs the Cavs anything on offense (not a given), they could get it back and then some with a stingier defense and deeper roster.