As everyone has heard, read about, seen on Twitter, and if you’re crazy enough even watched in person, the Cleveland Cavaliers have brought home their first ever NBA Finals Victory! LeBron James, who is a hero and role model to many around the world, lead the team in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks in the finals against the Golden State Warriors. This was a huge victory for James because of the hometown roots he has in northeast Ohio, and also for his fans. The 52 years without a championship victory has been put to rest. To celebrate this amazing feat, Cleveland and Akron had some spectacular events to put on for the city. Some were even so big, that the mayor of Cleveland declared it as a local holiday.
In the midst of all the finals excitement, I knew I had to join in on the once in a lifetime celebrations. On Sunday, the day of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden States game 7, I trucked it on over to downtown Cleveland to witness the madness, and be among the diehard #AllIn216 fans. What I experienced was absolutely breath-taking. From everyone being packed in bars like sardines, to seeing Kyrie’s famous 3-pointers on mega-screens, with thousands of cheering fans around me, I was in awe, and truly living in the moment. I have never received that many high-fives in my whole life. There is something truly special about being around an enormous amount of people, who come from all different backgrounds, and congregate together to cheer for a team that they believe in. This might sound crazy, but I think the best part of the whole night was walking back to the car and driving home. The game had ended, Cleveland was a champion, and everyone wanted to celebrate. Walking back to the car, I saw the whole city come together yet again and continue to celebrate the victory. In the rows upon rows of cars in the streets, there were people running through the lanes, high-5ing all of the passengers in the cars. There were others who were beeping their horns in celebration all through Cleveland and northeast Ohio. Game 7 showed all Cleveland fans that they not only the best fans in the land, but now the best NBA team in the world.
Being with all of those people, seeing them celebrate, hug and cheer, showed me something very important. I learned there will be rough patches, hard times, and even droughts in life. What makes these hard times, loses, and rough patches turn into victories is teamwork, passion, and an undeniable support system. Cleveland would not have celebrated as much as it did, or had 2 million people come out to the parade, if championships were won all the time. When you are defeated, but come back later and win, that is when you truly are grateful for what you have accomplished. I am very happy I took a trip to BelieveLand.
