Without a Ring for Comfort

Normally I write about the Cincinnati Reds, life around baseball or just plain baseball. Today is different. The complexity of the word ‘different’ in the previous sentence can not be explained to anyone living outside the borders of Ohio.

For today is May 14th, a day that may go down in history. As today might be the first day of many that we see our King lacing up his shoes in a different castle. Today is a day that Ohio weeps. Our team and our championship hopes have been washed away like a tear running down our cheek.

Living in Dayton I am 4 hours removed from the goings-on in Cleveland. Today I turn my blog over to to a friend as he, born in Cleveland, living in Cleveland can give a better perspective of why today is so ‘different’…

Without a Ring for Comfort
“In 2003 LeBron James is drafted by the Cleveland Cavs. In a not so ironic move the team also debuts new uniforms, colors and theme, calling back to the 1970s motif. No longer is the logo of the down and out Cleveland team simply a ball falling into a hoop. The newly created logo boldly presents a sword struck in a confident ‘C’. They are not the Cavs anymore, they are the Cavaliers. A new hope was not asked for, it was created. And at the tip of this dagger was LeBron James himself, the poised savior of all that was ClevelandCleveland natives were finally on the other side of the coin. They were no longer an underdog, or the small-market team. LeBron James and his larger than life persona made sure that no one thought otherwise. It was not until they ran into a frustrating wall that was the Orlando Magic, a series that made fans crazy with questions and what-ifs. It ended in James leaving Orlando’s court without comment and without humility. The taste of revenge took over as the battle cry for next season. Shaquille O’Neal signs on for the ride. His attitude is simple and poignant to the fans. Witness Protection. A ring for the king. Dan Gilbert’s train had its itinerary. The fans were simply asked to jump aboard.  basketball. The next few years represented a roller coaster of events for fans of the “All for one and one for all” theme that was projected by the powers that be in what is now Quicken Loans arena. Fans and sportscasters alike joined in the collective term of the “Cleveland LeBrons”. In the 2008-2009 season, the Cavaliers put together the best record in the NBA. Home court advantage and the best supporting cast that James had in his professional career went through the first two series without a loss.

As the post-season starts in the 2009-2010 season, the Jumbotron at Quicken Loans arena reminds the crowd of James’s ominous warning to the rest of the NBA, “I’ve been thinking about this moment since Orlando.”

Dismissing the Chicago series as a pre-game ritual may be understating it for Joakim Noah’s tastes, but Cleveland was instructed that this train only had one stop and there was nothing in between. That was true except for a very specific left-handed foul-shot. The Boston Celtic series was given more attention because of the ‘Soul of the team’ matchup between James and Pierce. In Game One of the series the Cavaliers win, over the Celtics, and Cleveland believes things are right on schedule. But while the train is still moving in the right direction, the scenery began to change. In Game Two the Cavaliers looked lost. A 25 point negative decision at home was akin to a Steelers fan parading around in a Roethlisberger jersey in Browns stadium. It was blasphemy. The series was now tied. To steal a line from the movie 300, the Celtics made a god king bleed. Fans called into radio stations scared and angry. We no longer had home-court advantage. And the aforementioned ‘left-handed free throw’ was now being mentioned again. “The Elbow” as many were prescribing, was LeBron’s right-armed nemesis. What James downplayed before the series was now being evaluated and critiqued by all those that could not understand what was happening to their beloved Cavaliers. Though the doubts of many, sought comfort in the sentence, “What did you think, they would sweep?”

LeBron James may have heard the whispers and doubts sprinkled throughout Ohio that night. In Game 3, he answered them. Another uncharacteristic blow-out of the home team ensued in Boston, only this time the Cavaliers were on the offensive. LeBron responded and Cleveland hung their satisfied heads for ever doubting their savior.  The Cavalier train was now leading the series 2 to 1.

Game Four was not overly different from Game One, only reversed. The Cavs did not play as everyone had hoped but did not look like the deflated team from the previous game in Cleveland. The series was now tied at two games a piece and the hope of winning the series at home was a refreshing one for the Clevelandreal LeBron James at home. Game five was anything but a reunion. faithful. LeBron had a way of leading his devoted on and subsequently triumphing in the fourth quarter. Many believed he was doing the same, possibly even acting the part from his elbow to enshrine his already bright future, with another proverbial trophy. At the time no one could foresee how this series would end. Most hoped for a win and a reunion of the

The feeling after game five was of uncertainty. No one knew what happened. A small population lashed out in anger. But most were just utterly confused. Again sports experts and Cleveland fans felt a commonality and it was a question, one that was straightforward yet surprising complex. What’s wrong with LeBron? Fans and experts threw out ideas, theories and unanswerable questions. Some thought his elbow was giving him more trouble than he was willing to admit. Maybe a pain medication he was taking took him down a notch on the intensity scale. Still others believed that James’s lackadaisical behavior on the court during Game Five was a precursor to the inevitable. That he had checked out of the Cleveland Hotel and was merely sticking around to make sure his luggage was packed accordingly. The prick of blood that had been shown after Game Two of the series had officially encircled Cleveland and its hopefuls. No one could put a finger on what needed to happen. Though it didn’t really matter what was needed, just that, whatever it was, it needed to happen.

A Game 6 was no longer a ‘if necessary’ situation. Boston now lead the series 3-2 and everyone’s pick to come out of the Eastern Conference was facing the possibility of elimination.

It would be impossible to figure out the number of heads that were slumped in Cleveland sports fan’s hands on the evening of May 13th. While some fans were justifiably mad and disgusted, seemingly no one was heartbroken. To be heartbroken you must understand the consequences, the fallout of the situation and what led up to the disappointing end. “The Shot”, “The Fumble” and Edgar Renteria’s line-drive past Charles Nagy in Game Seven of the 1997 World Series (an event that never got a catchy phrase) were heartbreaking conclusions. All of those games had tension and the possibility of reward, the unfortunate ingredients to heartbreak.  Going into Game Five of the Semi-Conference finals, Cleveland was distraught. Perplexed. We knew what was supposed to happen but it just didn’t. The train was supposed to keep going but stopped short. Everyone knew the train was slowing to a halt but neglected to argue. Maybe we are so used to being let down that we have developed a callus to such a situation. Nothing seemed right about it. As we collectively watched the Cavaliers stand by as Paul Pierce dribbled out the final moments of the game I wanted to look at the invisible, faux-director and ask why they were ending the film in this way. It just didn’t make any sense.

Before the game people were making predictions. On one side, they believed that Game Six was going to be the one that set LeBron James apart. The correction of the mistake by the lake.  Or?… the end of era in Cleveland? Since 2006, when James signed his latest contract with the Cavaliers, speculations have been running without abandon. The simplest thought was, if the Cavs could support him and get him a ring, he would stay to build a dynasty forgoing Jay-Z and the bright lights of another stage.

At the end of Game Six, Kevin Garnett was asked what he said to James after the game. He stood up briefly from his hunched-over listening position, “I told him to make the best decision based on him and his family.”  And now Cleveland holds it’s breath in the Summer of LeBron, only now without a ring for comfort.”

-A special thanks to Polarbear (aka Joe) for today’s post

Game 6 is over, the series is over, and all dreams of an NBA a championship are shattered. The last time a major sports team has brought Cleveland a championship was in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl).  That was 46 years ago. The Indians have failed to bring home the World Series since 1948. The Cavaliers have yet to bring home the major hardware. Since their founding in 1970… this was it. This was the year. The entire nation was going to be jealous. We would be the NBA champions, we would have the hardware, we would be celebrating in the streets, 46 years of torture would finally be over, and most of all the King would be ours. The glory of a championship would be the final blow in convincing him to stay. Convincing him that this is home. This was it. The dynasty was going to start now.

Now we all sit and wait…and wonder…will the pre-game caulk be thrown again…Sure.

But will it be in a Cavaliers jersey?