The Cavaliers may be the favorites, and they may employ LeBron James. Still, SB Nation’s Cavaliers blog Fear the Sword writes that you absolutely should root for them so the city gets the title they deserve.
NBA Playoffs Adopt-A-Team: Cleveland Cavaliers, Because The City Deserves A Title
So you need a team to root for in the NBA Playoffs? By going last in today’s list of Eastern Conference Playoff teams it must mean I am proposing the Cavaliers.
Now, usually the team with the best record is a hard sell. People love the underdog. They love to root for the story and in most cases the team with the best record is not the best story. Consider this, however. A Cavaliers championship is much more than a title for a team that has never won one. It is about a region starved for a World Champion and the pain they have dealt with for the last 45+ years.
You see, that’s the last time the city of Cleveland has enjoyed a title - in any sport. Sure, other cities get all the publicity for their various sports droughts. The Red Sox were well publicized, despite the Celtics run in the 80’s and the Patriots winning Super Bowls in the early 2000’s. How about Chicago? Sure, the Cubs get all the attention even though the Bears won a Super Bowl in 1986, the Bulls won six Titles in the 90’s and the White Sox won a World Series just a few years ago.
Look at the Eastern Conference and you won’t find a city as ‘cursed’ as the city of Cleveland. Milwaukee won a NBA Title in 1971. The Heat won a title in 2006. What about the Bobcats? Sure, they are in their first postseason, but the Carolina Hurricanes won a Stanley Cup in 2006.
The point is this - while the Cavaliers might be hard to love for the mainstream fan, the city of Cleveland is the ultimate underdog. See 1986: The Drive. 1987: The Fumble. 1989: The Shot. Three crushing defeats in four years. How many cities have even one ‘Name Game’? The Indians made the list too, losing the 1995 World Series to Atlanta in six games and the 1997 World Series in extra innings to Florida. That game, of course, was tied by the Marlins in the ninth inning. The Tribe was one out away.
If LeBron James, the best player on the planet, isn’t enough, along with a cast of characters that play willingly in his shadow, than consider for a moment a fanbase that has been tortured for nearly half a century. No better reason to jump on the Cavaliers bandwagon.
If they win, it will be one helluva party, and you’re all invited!
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