The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a phenomenal run this season. They are en route to having a 72-win season! But the coverage regarding the same has been lackluster. Why? Because LeBron James doesn’t play for them anymore? Or is it not “trendy” enough?

On New Year’s Eve, the Cavs came out firing from beyond the arc, and it paid off. They buried 18 threes, while the Lakers could only manage nine, and the result was a 122-110 win.

With that performance, Cleveland added another victory to their league-leading record. They dominated the 3-point battle, proving once again that they can light it up from deep when it counts.

In their first season under head coach Kenny Atkinson, they’ve racked up an impressive eight-game win streak. Sitting five games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the standings, they’ve quickly shown they mean business. The Cavs are playing almost perfect basketball, and it’s honestly hard not to notice except for mainstream media, maybe.

Fans have picked up on this injustice to Cleveland. They might not be as marketable as other teams, but is the NBA just about making big bucks? It is, but come on, the Cavs desire the limelight. The league produced $13B in league-wide revenue last year, and it’s set to make $76B from its media rights deal next season onwards. From the looks of it, fans are quite upset about the ‘power of the media’.

Fans call out the top dogs for failing to give the props that Cleveland Cavaliers deserve

One fan wrote, “Alarming silence from mainstream media about what the Cavs are doing.” The Cavs are flying under the radar despite all the evidence supporting that they’re an elite team. They have the best offensive rating in the NBA. Crushing teams, and doing it with a style that deserves the spotlight. But the buzz? It’s just not there, and it begs the question: Why is that?

Another netizen called out the top dogs. They wrote, “Nba media has done an absolutely horrible job covering this team….espcially the national tv basketball media @ESPNNBA @NBAonTNT just awful predicting and giving this team their due during this run and season ….not building hype for then at all”.

The criticism of ESPN and TNT, two of the most influential platforms in basketball, is valid.

When it comes to the national stage, the coverage feels minimal. Shows like “Inside the NBA” on TNT spend so much time discussing the Lakers and Celtics, even when their results don’t reflect dominance, while the Cavs are quietly steamrolling teams in the East without the same level of hype.

Biased/ one-sided narratives are nothing new though. We’ve seen it with players too. Massive names like Dennis Rodman and Jalen Rose have jaded reputations because of their actions/ personality, and not for the errors they’ve committed on the court.

Another fan compared this season’s Cavs with the 2014-15 Warriors. “Was the same way in 2014-15 GS until they forced their hand. Not surprising,” they wrote. Back then, the Warriors were quietly dominating the league under first-year head coach Steve Kerr, much like the Cavs are doing now with Kenny Atkinson.

The difference? National media didn’t start taking the Warriors seriously until they were forced to—after their 67-win season and a historic playoff run.

“Idk why but people are overlooking this. They’re essentially on the same win pace as all of the greatest teams, like, ever,” a concerned fan pointed out. If you break down their current trajectory, the Cavs are on track for a 72-win season, which would put them in rare company. Teams like the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, with their 72 wins, and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who set the record with 73 wins, are considered some of the best ever.

So, it’s puzzling that people are overlooking this.

One fan tweeted, “The reason why NBA ratings are low is because the Cavs are not being featured enough either in TV or the media. This is a damn fun team!”. If the NBA wants to boost its ratings, it needs to start showcasing the teams that are playing the most fun and dynamic basketball. The Cavaliers fit that bill perfectly…

They play fast, they shoot the three-ball well, and they have one of the deepest rosters in the league. They’re modern, efficient, and fun to watch.