Bryan Shaw – An Objective Concern

Bryan Shaw has been a lightning rod for controversy over many years. He somehow tears at the fabric of even the most ardent Cleveland Indians fan. Bryan’s outings are overall solid with many great and memorable performances. His overall statistics are good, which is the most common defense made on his behalf. Despite this he generates the highest level of anger and harsh commentary of any Indians player. This primarily comes from fans, rarely from the media, and never from the team.

With some help from other contributors to ClevelandWins, we will explore briefly why this might be happening. In contrast to many relievers who receive such disdain, he doesn’t walk a ton of batters as his 21 walks in 76 innings translates to only 2.5 per 9 innings. His ERA of 3.55 is solid but not great. None of this adds up to the raging, fire breathing vitriol piled on Shaw.

On a personal level this negativity seems unfair toward a loyal Indian player who has dynamic stuff and pitched successfully in some high leverage situations. It seems even more unfortunate knowing that Bryan is aware of all this negativity. Knowing how unfair this is on the surface made us want to dig further down and look for reasons. Generally, baseball fans and Indian’s fans in particular are highly supportive of their players.

Under that good pitcher facade lies some ominous stats that might explain the emotional reaction of fans. In spite of his dynamic stuff, in high leverage situations his ball often moves right over the heart of the plate, especially when he pitches inside to right handed hitters. This results in statistics that paint a scary picture for the post-season. We are all aware that Tito supports Shaw 100% and isn’t afraid to pitch him with the game on the line and/or in back to back games.

In those same high leverage situations Shaw has allowed 4 HRs and a .273 BA against in 106 plate appearances. In medium leverage situations he has allowed 0 HRs with a .213 BA against in 87 plate appearances. On only 1 day of rest, his ERA is a whopping 7.2 with a WHIP of 1.525 while allowing 17 runs in 20.1 innings. I suspect that these types of issues are what scare fans when Shaw enters the game.

I love Tito but I would strongly advise based on these facts to put Shaw on a short leash in high leverage situations and never pitch him in back to back nights in the playoffs. Will Tito listen to me … hardly. Should he … I think so.

A Child’s Belief .. A City’s Hope .. A Team’s Destiny

A child's hope

Often in our lives we wish we could turn back time and see the world like a child again. So much hope, so much belief, unspoiled by failure, supported by family. Although this is not the reality for some children, it is the idealized life we dream for ourselves. It is a place where we can go when times are hard and the world seems to be collapsing around us. If we could just believe like that child again, we would see our reality in a different way … a better way.

Sports is such a small part of life but can have a big impact on each of us. It can support self-belief or self-doubt. It can color our day with candy sprinkles or darken it like Raven’s feathers. Do we understand why sports can do this for many? Not really. Is it true? Yes! Does it make our lives better? Some cities sports fans would say yes. Cleveland sports fans would say a qualified “yes?” with trepidation. For those rooting for teams in other cities, they would have a tough time believing that a “yes” was even possible in Cleveland. For us, we always believe “next time” will be THE time.

As I stood in awkward sadness watching the Cavs let Golden State get to every loose ball and nearly every stray offensive rebound, I looked around at my now adult children standing beside me. My daughter in tears, my son ever defiant, and my son-in-law uncomfortably stunned. I had thought I was a good father after spending a small fortune taking them to that Finals game. Now, I wasn’t so sure. My confidence in my being a “good father” was being taken away by a sports team. Odd. Nonsensical really. But happening. I wondered if all the times we had spent watching and following Cleveland teams … ALL Cleveland teams … was a smart idea. I had thought I was so wise introducing them to sports as young children, something I loved and had played in and followed with my family since childhood. It would give us a family centered activity we could always enjoy together.

My wife, ever the trooper, has been with us every step of the way and supported our journey. On this day she was watching the grandchildren at our home, hoping and praying with the rest of us that the “real” Cavs would show up like two days earlier. They did not. And, for a small bundle of time, we went down the black hole with them. We argued in the car about listening to the post-game, a tradition I have had driving home for 40 years. My daughter didn’t want the anger and openly questioned why she cared so much for Cleveland sports if this was the result. My son-in-law buried in his shirt not wanting to see or hear anything. My son just mad. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them. How could I have made such a mistake for their lives?!! Sanity eventually prevailed and we are trying to look at the better side of everything again. But that dark time still makes me wonder ………… ??

I wish I could say that my experience was vastly different than other Cleveland sports fans but I can’t. I wonder how many other families, if even for an instant, were torn asunder by the Cavs failure that night. I suspect a number higher than I wish to imagine. If we could just look at this NBA finals like my 13 and 15 year old children did in 1997. They just couldn’t understand why Dad was crying on the bed after that devastating 7th game defeat by the Tribe. The Indians were an awesome team!! They would come back and win a championship next year. It would happen!! They knew it. So there was no reason to be sad and cry! Why can’t you see that Dad? Well now, many years later, we are all doubting our emotional investment in Cleveland sports. And I am doubting exposing my kids to this mess.

You see, our family gained a tiny bit of notoriety in 1996. A year after that spectacular Tribe team went to the World Series and lost. They went down 2-0 in a best of 5 ALDS series with Baltimore. We made a sign and a slogan. Three In a Row and ON WE GO!! It got into the paper and we were mentioned in an article about it. At that time and with that team, Cleveland fans honestly believed it was reasonable and could happen. It was a rallying cry. If you tried doing that now and with this Cavs team, as great as they are, it would be an object of derision and appear laughable. How weak have we become? How hard have we all fallen?

As I said many weeks ago and long before this year’s playoffs started, it takes true belief to have a chance to win. When I wrote that article, neither the team nor the fans believed. Since that time the team gelled and LeBron seemed to believe like the rest of us that this team was special. Three of the four games in this series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not looked very special. And I can see the belief being drained from the team and their coach. So again maybe it won’t be THIS year. WFNY may win again! Trust me, when my blog ClevelandWins prevails, we will all be much happier!!!

So I have some advice to myself and all of the Cleveland fans out there:

1) Don’t believe you ruined your children’s lives by fostering their love of Cleveland sports

2) Keep rooting for all Cleveland teams but avoid dropping down the black hole when a team fails

3) Understand that when Cleveland wins a championship, it will probably be when we least expect it and with a team that just doesn’t seem good enough

4) There is not now and never has been a “curse” on Cleveland sports

5) Cleveland professional sports teams do not play “for” the fans, they play for themselves, fans are separate, don’t mix this up

6) ESPN is not worth watching 99.9% of the time

7) The NBA is not fixed, it just appears that way

8) This Cleveland Cavs team down 3-1 now fits my definition in #3, so stranger things have happened

GO CAVS!!!!!! And keep believing fans ……….. Our time will come.

“All In” Is Easy. True Belief Is Not. A #Cavs Perspective

I really liked the Cavs slogan last year as we moved into the playoffs. “All In” signified that the Cavs management, the players, the coaching staff and the fans were all focused on and driven towards a common goal. The beaten and bloodied Cavs fought as hard as any team could fight down to the bitter and painful end. The truth is that they had just come within 2 games of an NBA title. The reality is that they “lost” to the Golden State Warriors, a team with the most charmed path to an NBA finals victory I have ever witnessed. With virtually no injuries and the remarkable good fortune of missing any confrontation with San Antonio, they won.

Cleveland and Golden State each added a few marginal pieces but their basic rotations have not changed substantially since last year. I really doubt that you could make a strong case that the additions have moved the needle strongly in either direction for these teams. They are, in essence, unchanged. But the perception has certainly changed because of the teams current fortunes. Golden State is running roughshod over the NBA. No one is close. Cleveland has just fired their coach because the team and management didn’t believe in him. They weren’t having enough “joy” after wins. The Warriors have also been together longer and the perception is that they must be hitting their stride. Well …… maybe they are or maybe they are just ridiculously hot. Either way, what the Warriors do or don’t do or what the Warriors believe and don’t believe or what the perception of the Warriors is or isn’t doesn’t matter. So, by my way of looking at this, the Warriors don’t matter. And neither do the Spurs.

What matters is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. When I refer to the Cavaliers I am referring to the players, management, coaches and even the fans. Because, after all, we are “All In”. When I place LeBron James in front of the Cleveland Cavaliers I am referring to the true order of things. Because, with all the talk of Kyrie being the “head of the snake” or someone else, it has been and will always be LeBron. Like it or not, he is the true “head of the snake”. Everyone knows that, if you can cut him off, you will ALWAYS beat the Cavaliers.

Last year I told everyone who would listen that they just needed to stay cool and the team would come around. No need to panic at 20-21 (or whenever it was that everyone started to panic). I would love to tell you the same thing this year, but I can’t. The Cavs have just made a dramatic move to change the coach who led them to within a whisker of an NBA title. They are now beginning to falter under the rejuvenated Tyrone Lue philosophy of “up tempo” offense and “having fun” after wins. David Griffin, regardless of whether the move was the correct one or not, has taken a huge gamble. He has just told the team, “if you don’t like the coach and if you are not happy, I will just change the coach and all will be well.” Now I am not here to ramble on about whether that move was the right one or wrong one. Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know one thing ……………. If the team falters and begins to doubt this coach, the Cavaliers are lost and the season is lost and David Griffin’s monster bet is a losing one.

Maybe that is why Griffin is reported to be desperately trying to add a piece to this puzzle. His magic worked last year. Maybe he can do it again. Only problem is that the Cavalier assets in a trade are nearly nonexistent and the team is approaching or has reached an NBA record for player salaries. The flexibility has been all “cashed in” for this team. So ……….. We can all wait for another miracle from Griffin ………….. Or ………….. We can all do the one thing that will win an NBA title …………….. BELIEVE !!

And by believing, I am mainly referring to one person, LeBron James. Because you see that is the person that we all need to hope sees the light. It is LeBron James that didn’t believe after two 60+ win NBA seasons that he could win a championship with that Cleveland team. And he was almost certainly correct. It is LeBron James that needed an existing champion, Dwayne Wade, to keep him believing that the Miami Heat could win championships. And they did. But now it is LeBron James that needs to be the proven champion that convinces the rest of his team and his All Star partners they can win a championship. But to do that he needs to be convinced, and he isn’t. That is what concerns me. Not the recent lackluster play or the coaching change or least of all, the Golden State Warriors.

This is not an essay knocking LeBron James. I am convinced that he truly cares about winning a championship in Cleveland. I fervently believe that he would do anything in his power to make that happen. For his own legacy and for the people of Northeast Ohio. He REALLY cares. And I mean REALLY cares. His actions and words are completely aligned with that caring. I do not see the slightest shred of evidence to the contrary. But sadly that could be the problem ……… he cares so much that he cannot believe. Sound familiar?? You see LeBron James is simply the reflection of us. He came from us and is us.

I hear so many fans who can’t believe now. It is like a battered and beaten team which came within two games of a championship didn’t even exist.
All of this can be changed by one man. It is a ton of pressure on one person but that is what a leader must do. I have been a leader enough in my life to know that if I don’t believe in my team, no one else will.

So it is time for LeBron to let go of his doubt and his fear. Strive for greatness as he says but BELIEVE he can get there with THIS team. And let them know that he believes. And show by his actions that he believes. No more need for “Hero” ball. If they lose as a team, than they lose. At least they did it as a team. If LeBron can do that and simply believe in this team, they will elevate themselves even above their talent toward an NBA title. The pieces are there. The belief is not. From any of us.

The #Indians Clearly Need A Reminder That Inaction Is NOT An Option

I have been throwing out on twitter lately some reminders about what I said in the off-season “to the Dolans” about what would happen if they sat on their hands last off-season and did not fill the number 4 hole in our lineup. I produced a series of articles that explained why I felt that, while the Indians were close to something special, they needed to go after a legitimate middle of the order hitter or fans would shut them out unless the team outperformed their talent. We now know that certainly has not been the case and, if anything, they have underperformed their talent level which is much worse. The Cleveland Indians are simply very tough to watch. And the terrible affliction of 2014, scoring less than 3 runs per game for innumerable games has continued.

So my thoughts were not “hindsight” as some have recently suggested. I clearly saw this possibility and spoke passionately about why I hoped the Dolans would severely deficit spend for two years while they washed out the Swisher and Bourne contracts. They needed to extend to get the one piece everyone could see they were missing … A dangerous hitter to put in the middle of the order. Now that they are past mid-season and the results can be seen with attendance and lower TV ratings, I am not sure that trying to “buy” any players is a wise idea. The mistake was made in the off-season and the trading deadline is not likely to be kind to the Tribe. So here are the last two installments revisited and I will expand on how I recommend they approach this now that the inaction has led to what looks like another lost season in a later post.

“I will take one final stab at my critics who still cling to the view that the Indians attendance problem is caused by the people of Cleveland and not a failed business plan. My latest debate was with a good blogger who felt the attendance shortfalls reflected the population decline in the greater Cleveland area.

While I admit that Detroit and Cleveland have not increased population in their greater metropolitan areas over the past 13 years, it has not been like there is a mass exodus out of either metro area. Based on the US Census Bureau actual count and estimates over the past three years, the Cleveland Metro area started at about 2,148,143 and ended the span from 2000 to 2014 at about 2,064,295. This translates to an 83,848 population loss or 3.9% over 14 years. Detroit has lost 157,574 or 3.54%. It is certainly hard to fathom that a loss of about 84,000 people over 14 years is accounting for a 24% attendance drop over the past 4 years. So yet another belief or “excuse” is debunked by facts.

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, baseball and all sports are part of the entertainment industry. The customers will respond to perceptions and reality. The customers definitely respond to talent. Any entertainment company will do whatever it takes to get talent. It is that talent that drives revenue and profit. To blame the customers for not showing up to your entertainment product seems rather counterproductive to me. Plus, it stops you from improving the product in order to turn around your business.

So could we please dispense once and for all with the continual excuses for the Dolans. They knew what they were buying when they put up the money. Now they are in a favorable position to make it work but it will take a considerable additional investment not matched by revenue to make this happen. All owners of entertainment companies need to do this from time to time unless they are extremely fortunate. Almost every MLB team needs to do this and can’t wait for matching fan attendance to do it. The Kansas City Royals have increased their salaries over the past 4 years from about 35 million to about 89 million and had virtually no increase in attendance until this year and it will be about 160,000 greater.

My point is that the Dolans need to look in the mirror and recognize that the current Indians team is pretty darn good but NOT good enough. They tried to really spend when they sold their TV station but swung and missed with Swisher. They need to bury that mistake and do it again. It is almost certain they will not do it, but I am hopeful that they will see the need and jump in again. There is no homegrown substitute for what the Indians need to really compete. That is a power, high average middle of the order stick.

I suggested Victor Martinez because he will be a free agent, plays for our primary competitor, has expressed interest in coming back to Cleveland, and fits our need perfectly. He also is a tremendous competitor and clutch hitter. Finally, he is an ex-Indian who was loved while here. The Indian fans have shown great interest in and have come out to see great ex-Indians return. It would be excellent from a PR standpoint and completely dispel the rumor that the Dolans won’t spend when the time is right.

However, this move would be very risky with high reward. Victor will be 36 years old by the beginning of next season. He has had some injury problems through the years. He would best be used as a DH but still plays first base fairly well. He virtually negates any benefit of Swisher unless Swisher can play right field. Finally, he will cost us a ton over several years and the latter years of the contract might be a poor investment. So, if we were sure Victor would have 4 years like this year, it is really a no brainer despite the cost. But that, of course, is not possible to know.

Knowing the Indians, they would prefer to find a one year player with warts like Nelsen Cruz. Baltimore’s investment in Cruz is definitely paying off. But that is also risky because you can end up with a Mark Reynolds instead. Those players are hard to find. Even with his age, Victor would be a far better risk.

Trades to accomplish the same result are also possible but we would have to give up a ton to get a younger player with Victor’s punch and average. So I am open to any and all possibilities to get the job done but I am not compromising on what I feel the Indians need. It is their only legitimate chance to really contend and get the fans revved up and interested again. The Indians pitching has the potential to be special, but the team must find a way to have fewer games where they score 3 runs or less.

I feel a substantially increased investment is necessary for the next two years to provide a true window to succeed and improve attendance. As Swisher’s and Borne’s contracts expire, they should not be replaced. We should have enough young players to fill those gaps by then. So, in two years, about 25 million will come off the payroll. Dolan should set up a business plan to severely deficit spend for two years and then get the payroll down in 2017.

I hope you have enjoyed this series on the Indians. It was the product of a lot of research and thought. I understand the final recommendation is kind of simple, but I think a major addition is needed. The team is set up overall to win with that addition. Whether this would succeed to peak the interest of the Cleveland fans, only time would tell. But I can assure you that doing nothing or very little will NOT result in a significant increase in attendance. The deficits created in that scenario might be deadly to the Dolan ownership and the Cleveland Indians franchise.

The final Epilogue Post follows:

“Just a brief final note on my series on the Indians and their attendance and how it relates to the near term future of the team. I was honored by WFNY with a reference to my blog series in the While We’re Waiting (WWW) section today. I appreciate Kirk Lammers reference to the series even though he honestly stated that he didn’t agree with all my points. That is the reason I am adding this brief seventh and final installment in the series.

The beauty of that reference in WFNY is that it not only helped expose many people to something I spent considerable time creating. But it also allows me to say this tonight. I am completely cool with people not agreeing with me because I am not 100% convinced I believe myself in all of the points I made in that series. That is what makes blogging one of the most rapidly growing communication tools today. It allows an expression of thought from someone other than a professional to be heard and then be followed by debate and dialogue.

The main reason for the series was to challenge widely held views about the Cleveland Indians failure at the gate (Brown’s town, bad economy, baseball disinterest, etc.) At the same time I wanted to emphasize the business principle that you shouldn’t blame your customers for a failing business. You should look in the mirror and find out what you can do to change your customer’s behavior. ALL good businesses reinvent themselves to adjust to the customer. Bad businesses cry about how the customer just “doesn’t understand their greatness” and are doomed to failure.

I personally don’t want the Dolans or the Indians to fail. So, I simply said that they need to improve the talent on the field (especially the hitting) and the fans will likely follow. Now I may be wrong but what other viable business plan can you think of that will increase attendance? The only other option is essentially giving up and calling the baseball fans of Cleveland a lost cause. For a lifelong fan, that is simply unacceptable.

So I appreciate that many will disagree and I respect that completely. I hope I have made some of you think and question a few of the widely held “theories” about shrinking Indians attendance. GO TRIBE !!!! Thanks for listening.”

#Cavs Determination and Fight Should Be Celebrated

In a season filled with lows and highs, the final take on the 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavaliers basketball season should be a celebration of their determination and fight. Many story lines dotted the Cleveland landscape before, during, and after the season. The media stuffed them with negativity, innuendo, speculation, unnamed “sources”, and sensationalism. The majority involved the head coach and his star player but these primarily negative narratives slowly bled the life out of the most successful season in the 44+ year history of the Cavaliers. Whether the fans and media are willing to admit it or not, there was a constant din of noise that detracted from what was going on right before their eyes. Neither group was totally focused on the magic of a severely undermanned, tired but determined group of men trying to write their own history instead of succumbing to the downdraft of unnamed sources and a now superior fully healthy team in the midst of a nearly unblemished season.
As annoying as it was, objectively there is no reason to bemoan the press or the distracted fans. The media has a job to do and, as Cavs GM David Griffin recently said, “sensational sells”.Gilbert and Eastern Conference champs

A picture of this Cavalier season could be painted on many canvases with many colors. If the story is told from the end of last season, it was all started by another stunning NBA draft lottery pilfering of the first overall pick. Cleveland had a nearly perfect off season that witnessed the return of LeBron James, the signing of Kyrie Irving, and the trade for Kevin Love. Telling it from the first game of the season, it was a spectacle of hype followed by the drama of a disappointing loss to one of the NBA’s worst teams. The storybook off season was marred by early failure, weaknesses exposed, and the growing pains of a team trying to understand each other and their first year coach. The unforgiving reality of the NBA was thrust in front of all of us and the team. That reality was shrouded in dark grey and sometimes black. Purple hew emerged with the cranky backs of Kevin Love and LeBron James and LeBron’s angry knee. Wins were difficult to come by, especially when LeBron went down, and the resulting 19-20 record was hard to stomach.

Retrospectively, that dark period during this Cavs season is best characterized by unyielding impatience when unyielding patience was required. LeBron James is frequently quoted that having patience is very difficult for him. As with the end of the season, the early season reflected LeBron James leadership. His teammates mirrored his lack of patience. Kyrie Irving trying to find a way to be a “side kick” instead of a solo blossoming superstar. Kevin Love trying to carve his initials in a LeBron/Kyrie dominated offense where he was asked to catch and shoot threes more than dominate the paint. The media was struggling to explain the deficiencies and looked to the strain between the star and his coach instead of the lack of roster “fit”, the team impatience, and the injuries to LeBron and Andy Varejao that led to the unexpected losses. Was there any factual reason to believe that LeBron’s impatience was all directed at a “deficient” coach rather than the greatest challenge he had ever faced in the NBA, his own health? It is doubtful that Blatt was ever his most pressing concern. The resistance or inability of Dion Waiters to fill the needed three point threat. The inability of Love and Kyrie to define their play by what was best for the team. LeBron’s inability to play effectively through his injuries. And LeBron’s most trusted teammate being lost for the season probably were the key reasons why LeBron was sulking and dissatisfied. As it is with many parents, Coach Blatt was simply at the receiving end of that impatience and fleeting fear that James may have made a mistake “Coming Home.”

It is captivating that LeBron foretold all of this in his letter but, when faced with the reality he predicted, he showed signs of lack of trust in his team and his coach. The most clear reasons he could have been taken aback and reacted poorly in a situation he himself predicted were his physical inability to play at a high level and the loss of Andy. Once LeBron returned to the court with near full ability and had faced the sad reality of Andy being lost, both he and the Cavaliers took off at a dizzying trajectory. Of course, everyone knows that the reason for that upward dizzying trajectory was only partly based on LeBron’s return to health and improved patience. The explosion of the Cavs needed a dollop of dark blue, light blue, yellow and white. It seemed that the blue from the Knicks and Nuggets represented blue skies ahead for Cleveland. In two rapid fire stunning trades, David Griffin shot nearly all the bullets he had to create a fit on the Cavs roster they sorely needed. His ability to use Dion Waiters (who couldn’t or wouldn’t fit), a second round draft choice and two first round draft choices to capture Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, and Timofey Mozgov saved the Cavs season.

Once all became healthy, Cleveland went on a run that showed no signs of stopping. They won 14 out of 15 games against the vaunted Western Conference and it didn’t matter where the games were played. At home the Cavaliers were virtually unbeatable and on the road nearly so. Everyone who wished the team success was praying that Cleveland would enter the playoffs healthy. And they did. Maybe the Cleveland “Curse” would finally end. In my view, despite the almost unblemished season of the Golden State Warriors, it appeared the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the playoffs with the best team. I think the results going forward in the playoffs clearly verified that view to be correct. If healthy, Cleveland was the best team with the best player. And, only basing their opinions objectively, Las Vegas agreed sans their stubborn clinging to the Warriors as the favorites. As it turned out, Las Vegas was correct again because the magical health that had followed the Warriors all year continued through the entire playoffs. In fact, they were getting minor injured players back by the time the Finals began.

After the playoffs started, new colors were added to the Cavalier canvas, black and blue. By game number two in Boston, the Cavs second best player would be hobbled by a foot injury. Irving continued playing but was clearly not himself. He tried to compensate and the knee on the other leg began to fail him. The tendonitis would vex him until his final game, game one in the Finals, and culminated in a freak fracture to the same kneecap covered by that balky tendon. Remarkably, the injuries were unrelated but the results just as devastating, rapid surgery and gone until next season. Kevin Love had already preceded Kyrie to the operating room with an almost unheard of ripping out of his left shoulder from it’s socket by a wide eyed Kelly Olynyk responding to the admonishment of his coach to do “whatever necessary” to not allow another offensive rebound by Cleveland. He certainly didn’t try to dislocate a shoulder, but this picture says all you need to know about him not performing a basketball play. Kevin Love getting arm ripped out

So there it was…………. Kevin Love out for the season because of a freak play that no one has ever seen previously and, I would bet, will never be seen again. And Kyrie Irving suffering a fractured kneecap after weeks of tortured play from two other separate injuries. The Cavaliers, despite losing their second and third best players, found a way to do what no other team had ever done when that has happened. Make it to the NBA Finals. They did it because of the historic play of the best player in the game and the determination and toughness of the team that reflected his championship drive. So, in the end, the team still was a reflection of LeBron James. Only this time it wasn’t duplicating his lack of patience. This time it was honoring his unquenchable desire to bring a championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whether that desire is grounded in the honest emotion of bringing joy to a sports starved community void of a championship in over 50 years or a desire to put a stamp on his legacy that can never be exceeded is irrelevant. What mattered was what was on display for all to see. A team that wouldn’t be stopped despite the odds historically stacked against them. Whether James called his own number on an out of bounds play to win a critical game in Chicago or shook his head at Blatt to change another play Blatt had designed is monumentally miniscule compared to the drive and focus needed for the Cavs to take the NBA Finals to a game 6.

It took two more colors to finish off the painting of Cleveland’s season. One was purple that represented all the players that earned purple hearts by playing through and with painful injuries during most of the playoffs. The other was red signifying all of the courage necessary to face those historically bad odds and NBA’s most fortunate and best team in the Finals. Then making them sweat to the last basket. You can package the negative narratives and send them all to Siberia for the winter. The performance of this Cavalier team should allow Cleveland fans to stick out their chests and strut. Be proud if you were “ALL IN”. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a bright future.