Cleveland Finally Wins a Title!

They did it!

At long last the championship drought in Cleveland is over.  Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first ever NBA title and the first pro sports championship in Cleveland in over 50 years. Cleveland fans suffered years of heartache with infamous playoff failures like The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, and The Blown Save as well as franchise demoralizing events like The Move and The Decision. But now the misery is over. To recap, here are some amazing stats on the series and the clinching game:

• It was the first time in NBA history that a team that was down 3-1 came back to win the series.
• Series MVP LeBron James was the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a series in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. 
• Cleveland won back to back road games in Golden State, who had only lost twice at home in the regular season.
• Going into Game 7, the two teams had each scored 610 points, and the game was tied with a minute left. 
• Cleveland held the highest scoring team in the league to only 13 points in the 4th quarter and scoreless for the last 4:39 of the game.
• The Warriors broke the record for the most wins during the regular season, but lost three straight for the first time in two seasons to lose the title. 
• Steph Curry was the first ever unanimous NBA MVP during the regular season, but had the lowest scoring average and lowest FG% of any MVP in Finals history.  He had more turnovers than assists and only shot 26% on wide open shots. 

With Game 7 tied with two minutes left, three key plays by the Cavs' “Big 3” helped change Cleveland sports history forever.

The Block: After grabbing a defensive rebound, the Warriors were on a fast break to take the lead, but out of seemingly nowhere LeBron came from behind to block the layup and preserve the tie.  Watch it below in real time or read the step by step analysis:

The Shot: With the game still tied at 89 and a minute left, Kyrie Irving took Curry one on one and hit a 25 foot three pointer to give the Cavs a lead they would never relinquish. It was the biggest shot of his career and silenced the Golden State crowd.

The Defense: Immediately following Irving’s 3, the Warriors turned to the MVP to tie up the game. After setting several picks to get the matchup they wanted, Kevin Love was stuck covering Curry in an ISO position behind the 3 point line. Even though Love had been criticized for his defense, he held his ground for about 10 seconds, preventing Curry from getting the wide open shot he wanted to tie the game. Watch it below in real time or read another step by step analysis:

Cleveland's three biggest stars stepped up at the biggest time to seal the title for the Cavs.

Just last week I was in a debate about ranking your personal top five sports moments. After dozens of worst moments popped into my head, I struggled to come up with my top five moments. Now I have a clear #1 moment. This is such a pivotal event in my sport fanhood history that I have already bought tons of championship gear and will be headed back to Cleveland to celebrate in the long awaited victory parade.

Go Cavs! And Go Cleveland!

12 Fun Facts About the NBA Finals Between Cleveland and Golden State

After a weeklong break, the NBA Finals are finally here! Will LeBron James win a long awaited title for Cleveland or will MVP sharpshooter Steph Curry bring the championship to Golden State? With all the buildup leading up to the series, here are 12 interesting facts you may have missed.

1. The NBA Finals will be between two teams with 40+ year title droughts for the 1st time in NBA history. It has never happened in the NHL or NFL either.
2. The Warriors are the 1st team since the 1996-97 Jazz to make the NBA Finals without any players with Finals experience, and are seeking to become the first such team to win a championship since the 1990-91 Bulls.
3. LeBron will be starting in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals. He is the only player to do that since the 1960’s Celtics dynasty.  
4. So far in the playoffs, MVP Curry is shooting .437 from 3PT, which is behind Cavs guard Kyrie Irving at .481
5. Only two of the past 11 NBA MVPs went on to win the title, both times it was LeBron.
6. So far in the playoffs, the Cavs have out-rebounded opponents by 8 or more rebounds 8 times. The Warriors have only done it twice. 
7. Two rookie coaches (Cleveland's David Blatt and Golden State's Steve Kerr) are in the Finals for the first time since the first title was contested in 1947. 
8. The Cavs are holding teams to .281 3PT% in the playoffs. The two times the Warriors shot worse than .281 from 3 in the playoffs they lost.
9. If the Warriors win the title, Curry will become the first player in NBA history to face and beat his four fellow All-NBA First Team members (Davis, Gasol, Harden, James).
10. In the 2015 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors and Cavaliers have combined for a 24-5 record. This is the best combined total shared by two teams (who made it to the finals) since 1991 when the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers totaled a 22-4 win-loss card.
11. LeBron is the first player in NBA history to enter ‪ the Finals‬ with averages of at least 27 points, 10 rebounds & 8 assists.
12. The Cavs are undefeated in the playoffs when rookie and UVA grad Joe Harris plays.

Cleveland Cavaliers Already Swooning Over Joe Harris

When my favorite NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, drafted former Virginia Cavalier Joe Harris in June, I was ecstatic.  Not only was I excited that the star of the UVa team that won an ACC title for the first time in 30 years was being drafted into the NBA, but he was going to Cleveland as well. After the Cavaliers added Lebron James, Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion, and James Jones, Cleveland became a title contender and I figured Joe Harris would relegated to the D League or only get playing time during blowouts. Last year only half of the second round picks even played in the NBA and only one of them had more than 40 minutes of total playing time and 15 points at this point of the season.

Luckily Joe Harris made the opening day roster, and even got some last minute playing time in three of Cleveland’s first five games. Then starting shooting guard Dion Waiters injured his back in the fifth game, allowing Harris to get extended minutes against New Orleans last week. The 23 year old rookie has not looked back since.

In the past three games, Harris has played an average of 20 minutes a game, hit 6 three pointers and has led the All-Star stacked team with a +/- of +65. In a close game against the Celtics, the second round pick played in the closing minutes including hitting a 3-pointer with 3 minutes to go.  Against Atlanta over the weekend, Harris entered in the first quarter and drained two 3-pointers igniting the rout of the Hawks. Only two players chosen #25 or later in this year's draft have more minutes or points than Harris.

Here is some of the praise from the Cavaliers' coach David Blatt so far:

"He's a very, very positive worker, nose to the grindstone, doesn't say a whole lot, listens to the veteran guys, fits in with what we're doing and he plays as hard as he possibly can regardless of the situation. That's what you want. Joe brought energy; he brought commitment to both ends. Our scouting department did a heckuva job getting Joe with that pick"

Even the best player in the world is on the Joe Harris bandwagon:

"He was huge," Lebron James said. "Joe Harris is going to be a big piece for our team.”

Now there are reports that the former Virginia Cavalier star could be in the Cleveland Cavalier’s starting lineup soon.

“With the way he is progressing and as well as he is playing, Joe Harris will be the starting shooting guard sooner rather than later. Much sooner. As in within a couple of weeks (or less), one source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said. At least one member of the Cavs’ brain trust is already in favor of the switch.”

It has been quite the rise for a player who only people in Charlottesville were swooning about last year.  I already have my jersey:

Lebron James and Peyton Manning Are One in the Same

ESPN posted an interesting article about Lebron James’s photographic memory:

    "LeBron will take one look at it the tv and know what game it is. He'll be like, 'Oh, that's Game 2 of the '97 Finals,' before they even put it on the screen."

This sounded very similar to an ESPN article about Peyton Manning’s memory last week:

     "Sometimes I can't remember if I checked a door at my house to see if it's locked or not," he said. "But I can remember a seam route to Marvin Harrison in 1999."

They must be long lost cousins or something! All joking aside, the two great players’ careers have strikingly a lot common: 

• Peyton has struggled in the big game, going 1-2 in the Super Bowl, while Lebron is only 2-3 in the NBA Finals
• Lebron was crushed in the most lopsided NBA Finals ever, while Peyton was blown out of the Super Bowl 43-8
• Peyton has led both the Heat and Cavs to the Finals, while Peyton has taken both the Colts and Broncos to the Super Bowl
• Lebron’s former boss is Hall of Famer Pat Riley who has six rings, while Peyton’s boss is Hall of Famer John Elway, who has two titles
• Peyton appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he was drafted #1 overall in 1998, same with Lebron in 2003
• Lebron has been thwarted and compared many times to future Hall of Fame player and coach Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, while Peyton struggled and is contrasted with future Hall of Fame player and coach Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
• Lebron finally won his first title in his ninth season, same with Peyton
• Peyton’s free agency was the hot topic of the summer of 2012, while Lebron’s free agency decisions of 2010 and 2014 were national news 

Or you could go even deeper, outside of their careers:

• Both have receding hairlines
• Peyton's "Achilles Heel" is his neck, while Lebron suffers from leg cramps
• Both met their wives while in high school
• Both have appeared on SNL and the Simpsons
• Peyton's success in Indianapolis helped the city get a new stadium, while Cleveland's economy is half-jokingly based on Lebron 

Lastly, they both better turn their title fortunes around these coming seasons, or else I’ll be in for some more heartache.

The Return of the King: Lebron James is coming back to Cleveland!

After ripping out Cleveland fans’ hearts four years ago in “The Decision,” Lebron James decided today to come back to the Cavaliers. Instead of a television ESPN show, Lebron wrote an essay with Sports Illustrated which seemed heartfelt.  “My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.” Much better than taking your talents to South Beach.

Three months ago, Cleveland missed the playoffs while Lebron and the Heat were headed into the playoffs looking to defend their title. It appeared that there was zero percent Lebron would be returning to the Cavaliers. How did this change?

• 0% - At end of the regular season the Cavs finished a disappointing season at 33-49.
• 1% - Despite only a 1.7% chance, Cleveland won the draft lottery for the third time in four years. Not only could the Cavaliers draft another top draft pick, but they could trade it for a proven star to entice Lebron to return. 
• 5% - In the NBA Finals, the Heat got crushed in the last three games, which exposed Miami as an aging team whose championship window was closing. 
• 10% - Lebron and his Heat teammates opted out of their contracts, making him a free agent. While it was still believed it was just a salary cap move to bring in more players, Lebron was no longer employed by Miami. 
• 15% - The Cavs resigned their All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving, which showed that the franchise’s current building block was in place for the future.
• 25% - A week after opting out, Lebron’s agent only met with a handful of teams, including the Cavaliers. 
• 50% - This morning after all the meetings, moves, and rumors, it appeared there was a 50/50 chance Lebron would come to Cleveland. 

Leading up to his announcement, there were all sorts of crazy rumors and signs that Lebron was coming back to Cleveland.  Cavalier fans, bloggers, and reporters obsessed over any minute detail as if they were solving a crime.

• Bloggers tracked Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert’s plane as it went to Florida and back.
• There were pictures of moving trucks outside Lebron’s Miami home.
• Former Heat teammate Mike Miller posted a picture of himself working out with a Lebron Cleveland jersey in the background.
• There were random changes to Lebron’s website and twitter bio, and the site even crashed when it was rumored he would announce via his site.
• The Akron police department was given a heads up to be prepared, therefore huge crowds gathered by Lebron’s Akron home.

All this obsession shows how much Cleveland fans are passionate about their sports and how dearly they want a championship. It has been much discussed how Cleveland has not won a title in any sport since 1965, but they got a lot closer today. While I doubt the Cavaliers are going to go to four straight NBA Finals or win a title right away, having the best player in the world certainly helps.

On a personal note, I was crushed when Lebron left four years ago. I stopped watching the NBA Playoffs and I took down my pictures in front of the “Witness” billboard. However, I did not burn or throw away my Lebron jerseys or “Witness” shirt. While I am still pissed at “The Decision”, being closer to winning a championship is better than winning the draft lottery, so I welcome him back.

If that was not enough, the Cavaliers drafted UVa star Joe Harris in the second round two weeks ago as well. I was going to follow him and root for whatever team he was going to be on anyways. Now, the player I cheered for as he brought the Virginia Cavaliers an ACC title for the first time in 30 years will be hitting threes for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Oh, and don’t forget about Johnny Football.

Cleveland sports just got a lot more exciting.

Cleveland Cavaliers Win Draft Lottery

The Cleveland Cavaliers took a big step in the post Lebron James era as they won the NBA draft lottery tonight. Not only do they have the number one overall pick (from a trade with the Clippers), but they have the fourth overall as well. Maybe David Stern rigged the bouncing balls to correct the carnage left in Lebron’s absence, or maybe it’s just the Clippers doing what they do best.

While there is no clear cut top choice like in previous years (Wall, Griffin, Rose, etc), two solid draft selections can be a great foundation for the team’s future. It would have been interesting to draft another hometown hero, Jared Sullinger out of Ohio State, but he is returning to school, and I’d be wary of drafting an OSU big man #1 anyway. There will be a lot of speculation on who the Cavs should draft (Arizona’s Derrick Williams, Duke’s Kyrie Irving, European no names), but maybe they should trade down since they need a lot of help. They would be drafting for potential, not immediate need since they had the worst record in the conference, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Williams and say Kemba Walker in Cleveland uniforms next year.

Lebron James: Public Enemy #1?

Ever since “The Decision,” Clevelanders have been waiting for the day the “Chosen One” makes his return to Quicken Loans Arena. Well tonight, the only 11-8 Miami Heat face off against the Cavaliers on TNT. In his Nike commercial, Lebron asks what he would do, but now it is time to ask what will the fans he stabbed in the back do? Will they boo the entire game or just when he is introduced? Will they cheer when he is introduced, but boo during the game, like when McNabb returned to Phily? Will they throw stuff, like at the Browns game? Will Lebron do his chalk warm-up routine he stole form Garnett? Will James cry when 20,000 people who used to cheer his every move now despise his every step? What about Big Z? Will he be cheered even though he left as well? We will see tonight.

Is Lebron even the most hated sports figure in Cleveland though? Tonight he will be, but once the dust settles, where will he rank in the hall of Cleveland villains? Art Modell moved the most beloved team and left the town without football for three seasons. Bill Belichick cut one of the most beloved football players and somehow saved his best coaching for the Pats. Those two actively ripped Cleveland’s hearts out. Meanwhile Tim Couch, Braylon Edwards, and Courtney Brown are hated for being busts for the Browns, not necessarily deliberate actions. Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, CC Sabathia, and Cliff Lee were loved in Cleveland, but left to chase championships, but are not hated like Lebron. Meanwhile players who choked under pressure like Ernest “The Fumble” Byner and Jose “Blown Save” Mesa were reviled, but how much can you fault a guy for one bad play or a couple bad pitches? Cleveland has it's fair share of enemies outside of the city too, like John Elway and Michael Jordan, but is the hatred deeper from your own team or their opponents? Will be fans’ hatred of Lebron last for the failed expectations, the betrayal of leaving your home team, or the ill advised ESPN show? Only time will tell.

All this for the 20th game of an 82 game regular season between two third place teams.

Cavs and Caps Epic Playoff Fail

Well that was a disastrous spring. My sweet playoff beard for the Caps and Cavs lasted all of two rounds, barely a month. They both had the best records in the league, Presidents Cup, MVP, all for nothing. Now the future of both teams are cloudy. Obviously Lebron can leave after July 1, but the Cavs need to retool to keep him here. Shaq is too old and slow, Jamison is too soft, Mo Williams is too inconsistent, but there are many promising free agents to be Lebron’s Pippen if he wants to stay. Meanwhile, the Caps need to resign Backstrom, who is the key to the offense, as well as find a shutdown defenseman who is not looking to score first, like Green. At least the Nats are going on a World Series run and have their own savior.

Win the Trophies that Matter

Now that Lebron has won his second MVP trophy, the Cavaliers are now seeking a more important one, a NBA title. However, setting records and getting multiple shiny trophies is obviously secondary to team success. My favorite NBA, NHL, and NFL players are now the two-time reigning MVP’s but have had no team success to show for it at the end of those seasons, with only this year’s Cavs left. After winning his third and forth MVP the past two seasons, Peyton Manning’s Colts failed to claim the Lombardi Trophy. Alex Ovechkin’s MVP seasons ended in first and second round defeats for the Caps. This year even though OV is a finalist for another Hart Trophy, Washington was bounced early from the playoffs yet again. Last year, after winning Cleveland sports’ first MVP since Brian Sipe 30 years ago, the Cavs fell to the Magic before reaching the Finals to meet Kobe and his Lakers. In fact, when Peyton did win his only Super Bowl in 2006, Tomlinson was the MVP. While the most valuable player not winning the title is nothing new, the stats are interesting.

If Lebron doesn’t deliver Cleveland a championship, he’ll be the seventh straight MVP in the NBA to fail to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy. Tim Duncan was the last to accomplish both, in 2002-03, part of a 37% correlation since 1956. However, of the 20 instances out of 54, 8 were just two players, Jordan and Russell.

In the NFL, only 26% of MVP’s won the title, with Kurt Warner in 1999 being the most recent. Strangely enough, between 1993 and 1999 seasons 5 of 7 MVP’s accomplished the feat as well as 4 straight in from 1959-1962.

Even though the Hart Trophy has been around in the NHL for 82 years, only 15 or 18% of those winners took home the Stanley Cup. Even when the Great One rattled off eight straight MVPs, the Oilers only won three championships. The last instance was Martin St. Louis and the Lightning in 2003-04.

The MLB is a little different since there are two MVP’s and less teams in the playoffs. The correlation that one of the MVP’s wins the World Series is higher than the other sports at 47%. From 1939 to 1948, all ten champion teams had the MVP on their roster. However, only one MVP has won the Commissioners Trophy in the past 25 seasons, and that was Kirk Gibson…on one leg.

When looking at one of the most prestigious individual awards in team sports, the Heisman, there is a small correlation as well at 14%. Even though the Heisman sometimes is just the best player on the best team that season, like this year with Alabama’s Ingram, the numbers for the BCS trophy are still low.

While winning the MVP is by no means a curse, like Madden cover or Sports Illustrated cover, it is no guarantee of team success as well. Here is the sporcle with the full list of MVP and Title winners.

Note: I used the AP Poll for the NCAA Football title, and I’m well aware that my favorite NFL player should be a Cleveland Brown. But come on, how could any of these QB’s, RB’s, or WR’s be a fan favorite? Hopefully Josh Cribbs does not have a letdown after his contract year last year.

Go Home Noah

Really? This guy wants to talk trash about Cleveland? He’s from New York. His Mom was a Swedish supermodel, his dad a tennis pro. Shave your pony tail, and stop riding the coattails of better players, like Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and now Derrick Rose. In case you missed it, in three separate interviews, here are Joakim Noah’s words of wisdom:

“Cleveland really sucks”

“I look outside and it’s depressing. I don’t want to leave the hotel room. It’s all factories. ”

"You like it? You think Cleveland's cool? I never heard anybody say 'I'm going to Cleveland on vacation.' What's so good about Cleveland?"

No shit Sherlock. Ground breaking news. Who wouldn’t want to flee to the Cleve?

Maybe next time you should realize that the best player in your sport and your first round opponent plays there, and you might not want to anger him or else this will happen to your teammate.

Cleveland Sports 101

Do you remember things when you were three years old? How about four years old? Or perhaps when you were six? No? Well welcome to the world of Cleveland, where you are born into dashed hopes due to the exploits of all time greats named Jordan and Elway. Look closely at the highlight reels of the now instant classic hall of famers, who are the sad saps wallowing in misery? Yes, that is Cleveland. That is the city I am from and proud of it for some reason. Granted I only lived in the mistake by the lake for three years, but most of my family is from there and I went there every Christmas to enjoy real snow. But once again, the point is that I grew up living and loving this town and its sad sap teams regardless of the horrid heartbreak that came with it.

Here comes my own heart breaking tale with this city’s teams in case you don’t know. The Cavs and Indians were terrible for most of the early 90’s, but the Browns were decent, until some guy, I will politely call an asshole, cut the favorite son in the midst of a good season. The Browns did win one playoff game against the Patriots (awkward) but lost to the Steelers. New Generation Lesson 1. And then oops. Another asshole decided to move the team to the Wire, I mean Baltimore. So that ends that gut wrenching tale. Lesson 2. The Cavs of course limped on losing to some guy named Jordan for years, and for some reason we had Shawn Kemp.

Once the Browns were removed, we had to turn to another team in the city, and luckily there was a new stadium, a new slugger, and new drugs no one knew about. Due to the awesome adventures of Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, and Albert Belle the Indians went to the World Series when I was in 5th grade, but of course lost in 7 games. In hindsight, the Braves and their rotation were all hall-of-famers, but that year was their only championship in the ten years of their dominance, so it’s not as crushing. I guess Lesson 3. Two years later, we make some deals, and get to the World Series again against an expansion team. We’re winning in game 7 and have a good closer to seal the deal, but oops, not good enough, he blows it and I go to sleep crying and we lose in extra innings. Lesson 4. There will always be next year, right? Umm….not really. Welcome to MLB free agency 2k edition. Manny Ramirez gone, Jim Thome gone, Lofton gone, Alomars gone. So by the time the league almost got into another strike in 02 the Tribe was just a shell of its former self.

And then the Browns came back. (Notice no smiley faces or exclamation points). Due to the success of the Jags and Panthers expansion years, the NFL decided to shit on the new expansion Browns so the first couple years were quite uneventful. But one year we pulled it together with a backup quarterback and were beating the Steelers. (Tommy Maddox? Really?) This is when I learned first hand that throwing stuff at the tv during a horrible Browns collapse was not acceptable because the outcome was supposed to be expected. Lesson 5.


May 22nd 2003: The Day it should all change:

After many years mired in mediocrity between the Cavs, Indians, and Browns, the sad sap City won for once. The little bouncing ball went the to the city that had its own river go ablaze. Cleveland won the NBA draft lottery. (Granted we had the worst record that year and had the best odds to win it, but still) Mark it down. Just looking at Mr. Gund’s face, you knew who he was taking with that pick, Detroit at #2 was on the clock (they took Darko Milicheck instead of Carmelo, Wade, Bosh, etc different post, different time).

In the meantime, the Indians pulled out of free agency hell and put together a good team in the 07 season with the best player since Man Ram in Grady Sizemore. However, they never got over losing a 3-1 lead to the Sox in the ALCS and traded away consecutive Cy Young Award winners, who ended up facing each other in the World Series. The Browns struggled for many more years, but had a good season in 07, falling a game short of the playoffs. They of course tanked in 08 and are on their 5th head coach since coming back, which is as many as the Steelers have had since 1965. The new regime traded away several first round picks and is now starting a terrible qb to prevent incentives for the backup.

AL (After Lottery): After the Cavs won the lottery, they obviously took the Akron born home town kid Lebron James (Be warned, man crushing will ensue). After winning the Rookie of the year, the “King” took the downtrodden Cavs to the NBA Finals in 07. Of course, Lebron and his band of Fighting Cavaliers got swept by underrated Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Lesson 6. Then in the 09 season, Lebron won the MVP, best record, and swept his way into the conference finals. After dropping only the third home game of the year in Game 1, James came up with Cleveland’s first miracle in a while. Alas, it was not to be, as Mike Brown couldn’t figure out how to defeat the pick and roll, and the Cavs were done in six, preventing the Kobe-Lebron finals. After all the anguish and all the heart break this city has endured, we hopefully now have a savior. We now have a Jordan or Elway. If he goes to the Knicks in 2010 without delivering what he was born to do, the city with implode and destroys itself if it hasn’t already done so. Hell, if only he could play for the Browns.


Further enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zURAqa65F1Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlSdItmoZbk&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evzSA7_yJHw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJAO7Dp1mds&feature=related
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155655/index.htm