The Cavs have given us a fun ride and it's not over yet
BY JUSTIN LADA
SENIOR SPORTS WRITER
One of the things I’ve tried to learn in 10 years as a writer is not to write from a place of emotion. While it’s fun and can be great writing to pick up on the emotion of the moment from a game like Game 6. That’s why Twitter is a dangerous thing. It makes us all prisoners of the moment during sporting events from the start to finish of the game.
But I have to get something off my chest after that heart racing performance on Thursday night.
I’m guilty of what many Cleveland fans have been guilty of most of the year. Not investing in the Cavaliers from game one, to 82 and into Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
I said months ago on Twitter (I’ll let you go find the tweet) that I had a hard time finding an emotional attachment to this Cavaliers team. There was drama, talks about chemistry issues, firing a coach with a winning record this season among other issues.
Worst of all, I expected to be sitting here on June 16 watching the Cavaliers still playing basketball.
I fell into the trap and ruined what should have been an incredible nine month journey with a team that had a legitimate chance to win Cleveland’s first major sports title since 1964.
Yet until the Cavs lost a game in the Eastern Conference Finals, I expected greatness and probably even felt entitlement. ‘
I’ve never been a sports fan or watched sports because of a championship or lack thereof. It’s about the journey of a long season and hopeful postseason, following the ups and downs and allowing the emotion of one single game have you ready to have bad words about your team on the tip of your tongue to pure elation just minutes later.
But as a fan, I allowed myself to not enjoy how special this team is all season. Down 0-2 to Golden State, I started to think about how it was truly impossible to enjoy the regular season because we expected to be in the playoffs and how it was impossible to enjoy most of the playoffs because we expected to be where we are now - one win away from a championship.
This Cavs team has been like the Indians of 1995-2001. They’ve had a legitimate chance at a championship last year and this. They were two wins shy last year despite debilitating injuries to everyone not named LeBron James.
Come Sunday when we’re all chewing off what’s left of our fingernails from the last two games, it’s been a fun ride and soak it all in. From the time I wake up Sunday and until I fall asleep, every moment that day I’m going to try to remember second second of the day that this Cavaliers team had a chance to win a championship. And if you fell into the trap of waiting to these expectations to be met all season, I hope you do too.
POSTED 06/17/2016 00:32
Lake County Sentinel
