This is my first
EHC column and written from my unique perspective as the former Editor of
the LeBrownsTown.com blog and Creator and Editor of LandLoyalty.com, our response to the post-LeBron era. Unlike the many true Cavs
fans, that blog didn’t have staying power, lasting for a short time during the
darkest era in my, and many others, lifetime as a diehard Cleveland sports fan.
The best part of our
plethora of sporting miseries, is the promise of Cleveland’s grandest party
ever on the night one of our teams break the spell.
Is it our time? I ponder this question as I did in 2007 and many
times as a kid in the 90’s. We are so close to ending the championship drought
that has spanned generations of Cleveland fans. Four more wins and 1964 is just
another number. All the demons won’t be erased but will sting a little less.
Who are we kidding, a lot less. As the voice said in Field of Dreams,
one title would “ease his pain.” In this context “his” is the city of
Cleveland. One championship and we all get the celebration, the parade, the
redemption and the happiness that we deserve.
The national media likes to pretend our entire city burned LeBron
jerseys and gave up for four years. The reality is most people didn’t burn
LeBron’s jerseys and the bulk of fans never gave up. Frankly, anyone that
burned a LeBron jersey was within their rights to do so. I hated that man. I
said I didn’t want him back. I was definitive. Am I a hypocrite? No, because
that man does not exist anymore.
The previous version of LeBron James was a child who this city
adored as he dazzled us on the court. He was the best player our city ever saw,
short of Jim Brown, and he made a point to spit on us every time he could. He
wasn’t trolling Cleveland fans, he made it very clear that he was Akron and
that he didn’t really like Cleveland when he was younger. Whatever his reasons,
he wasn’t talking up “The Land” as he is these days, he was wearing a Yankees
hat to a Tribe playoff game. He was on the Cowboys sidelines on Opening Day, at
then Cleveland Browns Stadium. We all know how he left us and how the
left-handed free throw that preceded it made us feel. That man was not the
person to end our drought. He wasn’t capable and we deserved better.
The analogy that changed my opinion and resonated with much of the
city was comparing Miami to college. All of us that attended college made
mistakes or at one time or another made decisions that would embarrass us
today. Personally, I wouldn’t want to hang out with the person I was for a
portion of college, maybe all of it. But we mature and we learn. In some way,
being away from his home region and being exposed to the example of D-Wade and
Pat Riley helped LeBron morph into the man he is today. Once we signed him, I
was happy for Cleveland and hopeful that this truly was a changed man. Clearly
as we have all witnessed, he has embraced the city of Cleveland and isn’t just
a kid from Akron anymore. Obviously he is a tremendous business mind and the
“home” concept is marketing gold but it’s bigger than that.
Why is all of this centered on LeBron? Very simple, because the
man and the ridiculously talented player and leader needs to be at his best
now. Perhaps the best he has ever been, for our Cavs to win it all. Without
Kevin Love and with Kyrie Irving’s knee and foot issues, LeBron needs his full
game working. He needs to not only drive but needs to hit jump shots and
three’s at a rate more consistent with his career numbers. I know the former
LeBron could not have done that, not against an opponent of this caliber with depth
and this year’s MVP. Golden State is a gritty, top defensive team that also
feels as though it is their time with a fan base and an environment that rivals
ours in terms of passion and craziness. They also believe the wait, forty years
since their lone basketball championship, is just about over.
Soon the pondering on both sides will be over. Will we be able to
watch or at least acknowledge that final game in ’97 against you all know who?
Will we be able to laugh, at least a little, about the misfortunes of the 80’s
on the gridiron, including one against this very same city that we face in The
Finals? Will the infamous possession where Craig Ehlo failed to stop the
greatest to ever play this game, be just a mere footnote before an era of
greatness? We are so close to finding out but this time both the player and the
city deserves this grand fiesta. Get pumped Cleveland and let every moment of
the next few weeks sink in. If this is it, you will want to cherish each and
every moment!!
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