By Ryan Mayer

The Cavaliers laid the smack down on the Raptors once again last night with a 108-89 victory to go up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last night’s game was indicative of the narrative of the entire Cavs playoff run so far. They’ve rolled through the first two and a half series without dropping a game thus far, with an average margin of victory of 11.1 points per game, which got me to thinking. If you combine the three playoff teams they’ve faced so far, would they still be winning this easily?

Let’s take a look at the hypothetical starting line-up that a mash-up of the Raptors, Hawks, and Pistons would present.

PG Kyle Lowry

SG DeMar DeRozan

SF Kyle Korver

PF Paul Millsap

C Andre Drummond

And this is what the bench would look like filling it out with the best remaining players:

PG Reggie Jackson, Jeff Teague, Dennis Schroder

SG Kent Bazemore

SF Tobias Harris

PF/C Al Horford, Jonas Valanciunas

That’s a roster featuring five All-Stars (Lowry, DeRozan, Drummond, Millsap, and Horford) and all starting quality players. So, in theory, the bench would be better than the Cavs bench because most of the Cavaliers bench guys aren’t starters on the same level as the guys on the bench here. That said, the Cavs starting five is still far better than this starting five. If you’re being honest with yourself, you’re still probably favoring the Cavs in this hypothetical scenario. It wouldn’t be a sweep, but over the course of seven games? You’re likely still celebrating a Cavaliers victory.

Which brings us to the larger question that has been on the minds of many as the Cavs have made their postseason run. Will the lack of elite competition in the East hurt the Cavaliers when they get to the Finals? You’ve heard the takes. The Western Conference is better at the top (Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Clippers) than the East. So, in theory, the Cavs are at a disadvantage because they won’t have faced the same top level of competition that whoever comes out of the West will have.

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Here’s the problem with this storyline. First, it’s nitpicking. If the biggest concern about this team is that they’ve rolled too easily to the Finals, that’s a good problem to have. Secondly, whichever team comes out of the West is more than likely going to be beat up. The Thunder and Warriors both have players that have been nicked up already through two games. The Cavaliers on the other hand, outside of Kevin Love getting banged up last night, are (knock on wood) completely healthy and will likely remain so. More importantly, if they sweep or win in 5 games, they’ll likely have a solid break before the Finals because the West looks to be going seven.

Overall, if you’re worried about the level of competition this team has faced in the East, don’t be. Enjoy the fact that this team looks like an absolute juggernaut as it continues to march towards a second consecutive Finals appearance. This run has been special, historic even.

With that win, Tyronn Lue enters the history books pic.twitter.com/kI5voJ6KzX — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 20, 2016

This Cavaliers team is better than the one that made the Finals last year simply by virtue of being healthier. As long as they stay that way, they should give plenty of problems to whoever comes out of the West.

Ryan Mayer is an Associate Producer for CBS Local Sports. Ryan lives in NY but comes from Philly and life as a Philly sports fan has made him cynical. Anywhere sports are being discussed, that’s where you’ll find him.