The Finals.....

This is a bittersweet story of exhilaration and frustration. A story of a wave of energy and the wall of reality. But mostly it's a story about hope. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals - again.

Finals time in The Land

Regular readers will know that I am a proud member of Wine and Gold United. That is the name the Cavaliers give to the owners of regular season ticket plans for the team. Actually I became a member only because that was the best way to get Finals tickets last year.

I have been waiting for a major sports championship to come to my city for what seems like my entire life. I can honestly say I don't know how I would react if it ever happened. I can fantasize that we'd all be spilling out of the arena and dancing in the street. High-fiving and hugging absolute strangers. But we wouldn't be strangers really. We'd be brothers and sisters of Cleveland. There would be a city-wide party for at least a week.

I really thought it was supposed to happen for the Cavaliers last season. We were playing great. I thought the mojo was with us. But major injuries hit at the wrong time. Even Lebron James playing in beast mode wasn't enough.

This year the regular season was fun. we won a lot of games, but probably not as many as we should have. The Cavaliers played like some temperamental, exotic sports car. When all the parts mesh, they can't be beat. But too often the parts didn't mesh. The coach even was changed mid-season. Was that a good idea? Who knows? We would probably be in the exact same position today.

Eventually the never ending regular season came to an end, and we earned the first seed in the Eastern Conference. The NBA Playoffs bear absolutely no resemblance whatsoever with the regular season. It's hammer and tong basketball. You play the same team day after day. There's no tricks. you aren't going to fool the other team. It's strength on strength, weakness on weakness.

Lebron makes another poster.

The opening round was against the Detroit Pistons. This is a good, young team that we had trouble with during the regular season. They also are well coached, but weren't at our level. We swept them in four close well-played games. Next were the Atlanta Hawks. A talented bunch, but I think we took the heart out of them with a win that included a record-breaking 25 three point shots. We swept them too.  That brought us to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors were another very talented team that also won plenty of games this season. The Toronto fans were passionate and traveled very well to Cleveland. They had a great time at the Fan Fest parties outside Quicken Loans Arena. (I always thought Canadians were supposed to be quiet passive. Guess I was wrong.) We won that series in 6 games, loosing the first 2 games in Toronto. I thought that was a good thing, like a slap in the face to get your attention. It also taught them how to win an important game on the road. That would be important if they were to win the championship.

That brought us to the Finals, and the hated Golden State Warriors. the guys we probably should've beat last year. We lost the first 2 games on the road, by wide margins. That made winning game 3 in Cleveland mandatory.

Me & Katelynn in the nosebleeds.

Game 3 would be my towns time to shine. A time to show the world who we were, and what the Cavaliers had in them. And I had tickets. I wound up going with a young buddy. She is a big time Cavs fan, and I knew would bring plenty of energy. Before the game the streets were buzzing. Everyone was wearing Cavs gear even before getting yet another Cavs t-shirt at the game. East 4th Street was crowded, but nothing like last year when ESPN and others set up temporary studios there. Last year you could barely breathe, yet alone walk down that street. This year, no studios so you could get through pretty easily.

The Q was humming with anticipation. We got to our nosebleed seats and put another Cavs t-shirt on. The fans stood to sing the National Anthem together. We continued to stand till the final buzzer. We stood for the ENTIRE game. The weak could sit during timeouts. The strong continued to stand. Now, maybe that's how it is for Ohio State Football games, but I can tell you it's pretty rare for NBA games. There was nothing but energy the entire game. A wall of energy. The "Let's Go Cavs" chants brought back memories of the Miracle of Richfield 40 years ago. DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE was chanted whenever the Warriors had the ball. The Cavs played great and won easily. Lebron made one of the most memorable alley-oops in NBA history. The Warriors never had a chance. Most basketball games are 5 vs. 5. This was over 20,000 vs. 5. It may have been the greatest basketball game/experience ever played in the city of Cleveland. (Remember, the Miracle of Richfield was played in Richfield. Not even the same county.) After the game we walked back down East 4th Street. It was quite a scene. Flaming baton twirling, and a packed crowd of happy, laughing, and chanting fans.

Unfortunately, the Cavs couldn't ride the momentum, and lost game 4. That means we are down 3 to 1, and headed back to California for game 5 Monday night. Most smart people don't give us a shot anymore. Maybe they're right. But in The Lord of the Rings nobody gave Frodo and Sam much of a shot either. I promise if we wind up winning the championship I'll write another blog about the week long party.

This was the crowd outside the Q during game 4.

But win or loose the season has been a blast. The players have provided the thrills and memories. But also absolutely everyone in the Cavs organization has been first class. My ticket rep, Jimmy, has been great, and treats me as if I were a loge owner. Entertainers that don't know me well, if at all, like Saranova, Crystal, and Tiff have brought the energy and been fun to watch all season. Even the ushers, security, and concession people have always been polite and helpfull. They're all champs in my book. I hope we're all back next year.

Sometimes a dream has to remain a dream. Sometimes the trip is just as much fun as the destination. But maybe I'll find out. Someday.