Kyrie Irving: 'We're the team to beat'

Through the haze of inane drama that has suffocated the Cleveland Cavaliers' roller-coaster season, one thing remains clear.

Despite the coaching carousel, LeBron James' tweets, and the relationship rumors, the Cavaliers remain in first place, just as everyone expected.

"I feel like we're the team to beat," point guard Kyrie Irving said following Thursday's blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"I mean, honestly, it's open season until we get into the playoffs, so I have a lot more confidence than I think anyone realizes in our team and what's going on in our locker room."

Even with the pesky Toronto Raptors nipping at their heels, the Cavaliers have stayed atop the Eastern Conference from start to finish. That gets lost amid the off-court storylines that have usurped their showing on the hardwood.

"Everything surrounding our team is just crazy to think that we're still in first place and we're still the team to beat, honestly," Irving said. "Regardless of what anybody else says of what we need and what we don't need and what we need to get better at - us, internally, we know that we have to improve on a lot of things, but we've just got to handle business as professionals and continue to get better."

Entering Friday's games, the Cavaliers hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Raptors and have the fourth-best net rating in the league. They're undoubtedly the best team out East until proven otherwise.

But when it comes to matching up with the best of the West? That's a different story.