It's been a long road for the Cavaliers, but they did it -- they clinched the NBA Championship Title, bringing home the first Championship win for Cleveland since 1964, a mythical time before the Super Bowl when the Browns won the NFL Championship Game. In the 52 years between then and now, one thing has carried Clevelanders, but especially Cleveland Sports Fans through the now ended drought: hope.
Hope that "maybe next year will be better." Hope that "we'll get them next time." Hope that we will prove to the sports world that we are a force to be reckoned with.
Hope faltered, but did not go out, when the Cavs lost the Finals last year at home in Game six against the Warriors. Our city was devastated, but slipping throughout the streets of our weathered city, hope healed our broken hearts, as it has done time and time again.
The Cavs broke records throughout the postseason. They scored a record 25 3-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks in Game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first teammates to each score 40 plus points in one game during the finals in Game five in the Oracle Arena. The last time an away team won Game seven of the finals was in 1978. Most importantly, the Cavs are the first team in the history of the NBA to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Championship.
And what helped the Cavs beat these records? Hope. The hope that they could achieve their goals. The hope that they could make history. The hope that they could hold on for just one more game. And one more game. And one more game.
Hope is a powerful thing, and Cleveland has been a testament to that power. Hope can bring us to tears with joy or tear us apart with sadness. It can help us through the most horrible of situations, and can be a great comfort to those in need.
It may not be the most pressing issue that the world is facing right now, but for Cleveland, this is our moment. The Cleveland Cavaliers brought their best game to the NBA Finals and did the unthinkable: they beat the Warriors, a team who also made NBA history with their fantastic regular season play, ending their regular season with a historic record of 73-9. The amazing quality of the Warriors made this one of the most nerve-wracking series I've watched, and yes I even watched the last Finals series.
It's hard to explain the joy that is racing through Cleveland right now in the wake of the Cavalier's victory, but this is our time to rejoice and our chance to prove that hope is never without relief.
Congratulations, Cavaliers. You've made history and you've made an entire city proud.
