Kyrie Irving says Cleveland Cavaliers are 'team to beat'

The Golden State Warriors may not be the team to beat when it comes to the NBA playoffs.

At least that's what Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving thinks.

After a 107-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night — the Cavs' 53rd win of the season — Irving expressed his confidence as his team prepares for the postseason.

"We're still to the team to beat honestly, regardless of what anybody else says," Irving told Cleveland.com. "[Pundits talking about] 'what we need and what we don't need and what we need to get better at ...' Us internally, we know we have to improve on a lot of things but we've just got to handle business as professionals and continue to get better."

When asked if the Cavs were the team to beat, the confidence continued.

"I feel like we're the team to beat," he said, per Cleveland.com. "Honestly, it's open season until we get into the playoffs. I've got a lot more confidence than I think that anyone realizes in our team and what's going on in our locker room."

LeBron James, who has been involved in his fair share of controversy over the past couple of weeks, reiterated Irving's beliefs.

"I think we're all confident in our ability when we're playing at a high level," he told the website. "We want to continue to use these games to get better. When the postseason starts, hopefully we can lock in, which I believe we can and make a run at it."

The Cavaliers currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors with just seven games left on the schedule. Season-long favorites to make it back to the NBA Finals for a rematch with the Warriors, Irving's words come at a crucial time for a team that — despite having equaled its win total from the previous season — has played third fiddle (to Warriors and San Antonio Spurs) from the get-go.

They will travel to Atlanta to take on the third-place Hawks on Friday night.

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