Cleveland Cavaliers: How They Fare Against the West

Much like the National League does in baseball, the Eastern Conference in basketball isn't given as much credit until it squares off with its bigger, badder, more talented counterpart.

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it isn't any different. And it shouldn't be.

When the Cavaliers barreled into the NBA Finals two seasons ago, it was surprising. Even fans can tell you, any team with Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic in the starting lineup isn't likely to be the favorite.

The talk leading up to the Finals was how the Cavs had a 19-11 record against the West that year. That included a 2-0 mark against their opponent, the Spurs.

That obviously didn't matter much. The Spurs didn't miss a beat, sweeping the Cavs.

But putting things into perspective, the Cavs have put together a pretty nice record against the mighty West.

Last year it was a 17-13 record, including splits with the Spurs, Mavericks and Jazz. The Cavs swept the series with the upstart Blazers, as well as the conference-champion Lakers.

When it comes to the Spurs and Lakers, the regular season isn't the best time for either team to play the Cavs. The Lakers haven't been on the high end of the score against them since Jan. 12, 2006.

LeBron and the gang are also 4-2 against the Spurs over the past three seasons.

There are, however, a few tough outs in the West for Cleveland. Houston is never a tough out. Between Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, both are bonafide Cav killers. The Rockets have beaten the Cavs every time they've met, but two, since 2004.

The Nuggets haven't been any easier on Cleveland. The LeBron-Melo battle has gone the way of Melo so far. He leads 6-2 and hasn't lost since Dec. 15, 2005. The King hadn't even celebrated his 21st birthday yet.

Doing well against the West is somewhat important for the East's teams. The mightier conference makes up 30 games of their schedule, so it doesn't hurt. It also builds confidence, and that's definitely true of the Cavaliers. Beating LA, San Antonio, and Utah means they're on par with some of the best teams in the league.

Cavaliers' record vs. the West since they drafted LeBron James:

2003-04: 6-22

2004-05: 16-14

2005-06: 16-14

2006-07: 19-11

2007-08: 17-13