The Cleveland Cavaliers are living on borrowed time with their current second apron situation. That is why the conversations surrounding the importance of this current contention window are endless for the franchise.
That is also why when The Athletic's NBA Daily podcast discussed the contenders under the most pressure heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, the Cavaliers were an obvious choice. Fred Katz painted the picture of what Cleveland is facing nicely.
Katz contrasted the two main contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. The Knicks have just enough flexibility to keep their core together for some prolonged contention.