Beal: Wizards are best team in East, embrace matchup with Cavs

Bradley Beal has said it before and he'll say it again: he thinks the Washington Wizards are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

"I feel like we're the best team. That's just the way I feel," he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols and Paul Pierce on Friday.

The declaration came hours before Washington's matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who've made it out of the East three years in a row. They won the championship in 2016 and, despite their slow start this season, still demand respect around the league.

"That's one of the best teams to be assembled," Beal said. "You've got LeBron (James), been in The Finals the last seven times. ... We know we can challenge them, and they know they challenge us. It's always a good matchup. We love it. We embrace it."

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Offense isn't an issue for the 4-3 Wizards, who boast the league's fifth-best offensive rating. The hurdle arises at the defensive end, where they rank in the middle of the pack. John Wall and Beal vowed to step up at that side of the court to set an example for the rest of the team.

Cleveland's had the same problem, but amplified. Tyronn Lue's men posted the NBA's second-worst defensive rating through the first two weeks of the campaign, and have a 3-5 record to show for it.

James said he's excited to see how the Cavaliers will "turn this thing around," and hopes to lead them past the Wizards to snap the four-game losing streak. Cleveland claimed the head-to-head series 2-1 last year.