I don't think that's necessarily true, but it probably is in most cases. I think there's a distinction in that a "real" team also wins a lot of games against average to good teams too.
And I would agree that recent past has everyone skeptical. In my particular case, I just see more of the same in this team and it's approach. Which, given last season, I expected this season to be a stepping stone anyway.
Edit: And keep in mind that I do think it's possible to be "real" while also playing a weak schedule. To me, it really is all about how competitive a team will be in the playoffs.