CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cavs are operating from a few positions of strength.

They won a title. They have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Kevin Durant stayed in the Western Conference.

Things could be worse.

Durant is an infrequent opponent, at least until the playoffs where - to steal a phrase the Warriors should fully understand now - everything is earned, nothing is given.

Supposedly, one of the selling points for Durant was a thought shared by Warriors' GM Bob Myers, paraphrased by The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In meeting, Bob Myers told Durant: Without you, we can another title or two. Without us, you might win too. Together? We'll win a bunch. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 4, 2016

If that sounds like a ripoff of LeBron's "not one, not two, not three" pep-rally proclamation, there's good reason. A bunch is a bunch.

Miami went two-for-four in NBA title runs. Ray Allen's jumper kept it from being one-for-three.

Durant makes the Warriors more formidable than James' Miami teams during that stretch. There's no sense denying it.

You can tell yourself -- as some Cavs fans have done in the last 24 hours -- that there's only one basketball. Well, yes. Durant is also joining a team that shares the basketball better than any other.

The one-basketball caveat is not exactly comforting for opponents then. And if you are one who has found yourself using it in the last day or two, you can't also pretend the same wouldn't apply to a Cavs' team with, say, Dwyane Wade (to grab a name out of thin air).

Nobody ever won a NBA title in July, though perhaps one day the marathon postseason will end with a night of fireworks on July 4.

Golden State could do a lot of great things with Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. But the Warriors haven't yet. And if the Cavs caused Golden State some serious issues over two playoff seasons - one while shorthanded - those won't disappear just because of Kevin Durant.

David Griffin's mandate is to try to get better. If you don't do that, you fall behind.

That mandate was the same before Durant made his decision. It's no different now.

I'm just not sure you get better by over-reacting and making major changes that could leave you searching for the kind of cohesion that resulted in a championship less than three weeks ago.

The game of chess with the Warriors comes late next season, if at all. Why start playing now?

Griffin felt the need to change the dynamic last season when it became apparent the Cavs were lagging in efficiency and chemistry. A 30-point loss to the Warriors offered even more evidence. Griffin did it by making a coaching change and later by bringing in Channing Frye.

Warriors' fans no doubt think they lost the series when Green got suspended for Game 5 and Andrew Bogut injured his knee.

The view from Cleveland: the Cavs beat the Warriors twice more with Green in the lineup, once at The Oracle.

Bogut? Was he a bigger loss than Kevin Love and Irving the year before?

The guess is LeBron James and the Cavs will spend the next year being told they have no choice, that they're like all the other teams in the NBA who can't possibly match up with the Warriors now. Even though Kyrie Irving might be scratching the surface. Even though Kevin Love might fit in more than he fits out.

The guess is James will use it as motivation the way he used Curry's unanimous MVP vote and the disrespect he felt the Warriors showed him after Game 4.

And that the Warriors may carry even more pressure into next postseason than they did after winning 73 games.

And, for the Cavs, there are worse things.