down to their competition and it didn’t help that first year head coach David Blatt was suddenly expected not only to improve the team, but get it to the NBA Finals. There was plenty of second guessing during the year. Did James do the right thing in leaving the Heat, a successfully run franchise led by Pat Riley? Why did the Cavs not hire a coach with experience? Should they have traded their number one pick, Andrew Wiggins, for Kevin Love, and is Love overrated? Due to a less than challenging Eastern Conference and the team hitting its stride at the right time, Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors, a team that knew how to score at will, thanks to MVP Stephen Curry, would defeat Cleveland, but the underdog Cavs gave the Warriors a run for their money, taking the series to six games. It seemed like history was about to repeat itself the following year. Despite a good enough record, the Cavs fired Blatt early in the season and gave the head coaching job to assistant and former NBA player Tyrone Lue. The team still didn’t seem dominant or inspired during the season. It weathered some injuries and won 57 games, four more than the previous year, and made it back to the NBA Finals to play the same Warriors. Only this time, Golden State came off the greatest regular season record of all time with 73 wins, leaving some to wonder if this was the greatest team in NBA history. It looked like a sure loss for the Cavs again, but this time, they were healthy and Golden State was banged up. In one of the greatest NBA Finals in recent history, the series went to seven games. During the seventh and decisive game, the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors in Oakland during a nail-biter. When time expired, the Cavs had won 93-89, and James, Irving and team had done something no other team to don the uniform had done - win a championship. It’s remarkable that the once-hated James finally brought the fans of Cleveland a title. It seemed to be an improbable scenario for so many reasons, yet here he is. No matter what happens from here on out, James delivered on his promise and Ohio residents can relax a bit. Warriors in the playoffs. Instead of creating a rivalry and compelling basketball, he went to the Warriors, which results in a win-or-bust mentality. It’s likely Durant’s desire to win a championship over playing in a big market that led him to Golden State. After all, the Lakers and Knicks wanted him badly. And the superstar has earned his right to play for whatever team he wants. Still, there’s something very anti-climactic about stars joining stars to create a league where only a couple can survive. It’s a move that greats like Jordan and Bird said they never would’ve done in today’s game. They were too competitive at the time. Durant will likely get his ring, although there are no guarantees, and maybe one day like Lebron, he’ll end up back in OKC. But it’s an intriguing trend that players want that championship at all cost, even at the expense of taking the easy way out. And make no mistake, winning a championship in Golden State will be a lot easier than winning one in OKC. And less meaningful. CAVS SHOCK THE NBA WORLD When Lebron James declared he was returning home to Cleveland in the summer of 2014, he stated in the article he penned himself for Sports Illustrated that it wasn’t going to be easy, or quick, for the Cavaliers, a team that has never won an NBA championship, to get its first title. But James knew what he was doing when he left the Miami Heat, an aging team in decline, to go back to his first team and his hometown. The Cavs, although a very bad team before Lebron, had cap space, top draft picks and an all-star in the making in guard Kyrie Irving. James saw potential and made a calculated risk. Like most moves, this wasn’t an easy one. The Cavs struggled during the 2014-15 regular season. They played hard but the lack of cohesion was evident. The Cavs would play QNS.com WINTER 2016 11
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