There is a widespread belief that teams led by superstars have an edge in the playoffs over teams that win with depth and balance. For example, the Atlanta Hawks won the top seed in the East with ease last year after a 60-win regular season.
Still, pretty much everyone saw the Cleveland Cavaliers as the favorites to make the Finals. Why the disconnect? Simply put, the Cavs had LeBron James and the Hawks did not. Sure enough, when the teams met in the conference finals, James led the injury-depleted Cavs to a four-game sweep.