Heading into their matchup on Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors were headed in different directions.

Cleveland had lost seven of their last 10 games and had fallen to third place in the Eastern Conference standings at 26-16 overall.

Golden State had won eight of their last 10 games and possessed the NBA’s best record at 35-9 overall.

In the end, the Warriors took care of business by the score of 118-108 as they continued their surge and Cleveland continued their free fall.

Before the game, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue raised some eyebrows with his comments about his team and how they stack up against the rest of the Eastern Conference.

According to Lue, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Cavaliers are the best team in the East "because we've got the best player in the world.”

That player is, of course, LeBron James.

"To answer your question in a better light, we're not right now, but we will be the best team in the East, yes," Lue said. "Well, we're not playing the best right now, but we will be.”

Therefore, he initially labeled his club as the best in the East but then slightly walked back those claims, saying they will be soon. It’s worth noting that LeBron had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists over 36 minutes in Monday’s contest and the Cavs still lost.

"I think working I.T. back has been tough, because he had a minute restriction and then he's going back and playing with the second unit when they had a good rhythm going," Lue also said. "So now his minutes are starting to increase. It's just been a tough time to try and figure out the minutes and get him off the floor at the right time, and right timing and different combinations. But, you know, we'll figure it out.”

Although the Eastern Conference is considered to be weaker than the West, the 34-10 Boston Celtics and 29-13 Toronto Raptors seem to be legitimate contenders at this point in the season. Right behind the Cavaliers are the Miami Heat (25-18), Washington Wizards (25-19), Indiana Pacers (23-20), Milwaukee Bucks (23-20) and Detroit Pistons (22-20). Therefore, there isn’t a ton of separation between Cleveland and the eighth-seeded Pistons.

Although it’s safe to assume that any LeBron James-led club will most likely end up in the NBA Finals, calling Cleveland the best in the East on anything other than paper right now might be a stretch.