The Cleve has seen its share of gut-wrenching defeats, so wide and varied that fans are programmed to hope for the best but expect the worst. "The Drive" and "The Fumble" prevented the Browns from reaching their first Super Bowl in two consecutive seasons in the late 1980s. A more recent but perhaps less famous game in the pantheon of heartbreaking defeats took place during the 2002-2003 NFL Playoffs. Tommy Maddox (of XFL fame) brought the Pittsburgh Steelers back from a 12-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining to shock the Browns in the Wild Card round.
The same misfortune has been seen in baseball. In the 1997 World Series, the Indians were three outs away from a championship, but failed to get the job done. The Florida Marlins scratched across a run to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7, and then won the title in the 11th. Edgar Renteria's winning single and the game as a whole served as a perfect symbol, illustrating how close Cleveland sports has been to a modern championship but how the franchises continue to find new ways to screw up.
But this basketball season was supposed to be different. The King was finally supposed to be crowned and have no plausible reason to leave town as a free agent. After seeing his team (as a #1 seed) ousted by the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, GM Danny Ferry was under the gun. He knew he needed to a.) get to the NBA Finals, and b.) make it look like he was trying to help LeBron, so he worked to bring in the reinforcements.
The first shake-up was when Ferry agreed to trade Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and a second-round pick to Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal prior to the start of this season. This is the perfect example of a knee-jerk deal. Ferry said to himself, "Well, we just got owned by a center (Howard) in last year's playoffs, so let's go after one this offseason." Two problems became evident from this deal. 1.) O'Neal's 2008-2009 stats: 17.8 PPG, 8.4 REB, 1.4 BLk, 75 games, were done on a non-playoff Phoenix team where he took more shots to bait teams into thinking he was still a bona fide force (8.2 FGA in '07-'08, 11.2 in '08-09). 2.) His style of play would slow the game down for a team that should run at every opportunity and he would clog the lane for LeBron's drives. And was it really worth it to pick him up essentially for two teams (Orlando more so than Los Angeles)?
Ferry then re-signed forward Anderson Varejao to a six-year deal worth up to $50 million. Varejao is locked into the deal until the 2014-2015 season, and the money paid to him increases each year. Is a "dirty, scrappy," player really worth $50 million over six years? He has never averaged over 10 PPG, 10 RPG, or 1 BPG. Who else was gonna give Varejao this money? Isiah? He's been gone for a while now. Billy King? No mas. Chris Wallace? He only GIVES players away for nothing. This contract won't be felt in the short-term, but Ferry unwisely rewarded LeBron's boy with way too lucrative of a deal.
Lastly, the Cavs signed Anthony Parker to a two-year deal. This was option #2, after option #1A (Ron Artest) and option #1B (Trevor Ariza) didn't pan out. I thought this was a solid signing. Championship teams need a dead-eye shooter, someone who can receive a kick out and bury a dagger three. Just look to last year's Finals and what Derek Fisher's Game 4 three did in the Orlando-Los Angeles series. The Cavs were asking Parker to be a poor and homeless man's Sean Elliott. I liked the signing.
Armed with a headline grabbing acquisition (Shaq), a role filling signing (Parker) and after completing some housekeeping (Varejao), the '09-'10 Cavs had one goal: A title. A pleasant surprise for Cleveland came in the form of J.J. Hickson, the team's 2008 first round pick. He served as a spark for the Cavs all season long with his ability to get to the rim and the charity stripe, but he was surprisingly kept under wraps by his own coach in the Boston series. More on that later.
On February 17, 2010, the Cavs were 43-12 and well on their way to the best record in the NBA. At this time, Ferry decided to add another piece to the puzzle, fleecing a rebuilding Washington Wizards team for Antawn Jamison. Along with a first round pick, Ferry packaged Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the deal (who the Cavs would get back one month later). I thought Jamison was a solid enough #2 option to get LeBron and Co. to the Finals. I praised the Cleveland front office for being aggressive at the deadline and doing what needed to be done to keep their star. But it just never seemed to mesh, never seemed to work. If LeBron was being double-teamed, how confident were Cavs fans that Jamison would be able to either a.) score or b.) open up a scoring opportunity for a teammate. Jamison simply was not a second star who could deliver and be counted on. In the pivotal Game 5 against the Celtics, with LeBron having a disastrous night, Jamison went a quiet 4-10 for 9 points and 6 rebounds. He averaged under 12 PPG for the series, a number that should have been closer to his season average of 18.7.
One thing to ponder: Was the Amar'e Stoudemire rumored deal the biggest NBA non-trade of the past five years (not counting Kobe to Chicago)? Think about it. Phoenix never makes their run to the Western Conference Finals without Amar'e, never can get by the Spurs and the deal basically shuts the door on the whole Stoudemire/Nash run with the Suns, with no championships and no Finals appearances. If Cleveland gets Stoudemire they'd most likely have to part with Hickson, but I'd take Stoudemire over Hickson/Jamison everyday of the week. He's the player that I think would have put Cleveland over the top, forcing me to wonder how close/far apart this deal really was
Led by MVP LeBron James, the Cavaliers finished with a 61-21 record and wound up with not only the best record in the Eastern Conference, but the best record in the NBA. As soon as the seeding was finalized, if you were a Cleveland fan, you did not want to see Boston as the #4 seed. After sweeping the Hawks in last year's semis, that was the series you wanted, not Boston. But that wasn't supposed to matter for this year's team; this was the team that was supposed to run through the East and get ready for the Lakers.
One performance I was really impressed with in Cleveland's first round series victory over the Bulls: LeBron goes for 37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 blocks in a 121-98 Game 4 "I'm not playin around" performance. After losing Game 3, Cleveland's 23-point victory gave them a controlling 3-1 series lead. The Cavs would close out the series in Game 5, which included an odd left-handed LeBron James free throw (my theory on the elbow: the whole deal was blown way out of proportion).
Next up in Cleveland's quest: the Boston Celtics and a healthy KG. I often like looking back at series after they have finished so you can pick up on signs you might have missed while the series was going on. Perfect example was Game 1 of Celtics/Cavs. Boston led by eleven at halftime and was thoroughly outplaying Cleveland on their home floor. The C's led 69-58 midway through the 3rd quarter before Mo Williams erupted for 14 points in the third frame and James added 35 as the Cavs ended up winning 101-93.
Embedded in this game were a few things of note: 1.) Rondo goes off for 27 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds, a scary, omnious sign of things to come. 2.) Garnett puts in 18 PTS and 10 REB and is consistently nailing the mid-range jumper. 3.) Jamison comes up small (7 PTS, 2-6 FG) 4.) In only 11 minutes, Hickson nets 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Even with LeBron having a huge night, if Mo doesn't heat up, Cleveland is run out of Quicken Loans Arena in Game 1. Back to that whole the King needs a dependable sidekick thing, as Mo went into a coma from Game 2-Game 5.
Boston took Game 2 by 18 (against a team who was 35-6 at home during the regular season), and then Cleveland won Game 3 by 29 which set up a Game 4 in Boston with the Cavs holding a 2-1 series lead. As pivotal as Game 5 would be, I feel Game 4 was just as important. The Cavs just went into Boston, and took the Celtics out by nearly 30 in Game 3 at the TD Garden. If you come out and take it to them early in Game 4, the C's have to immediately be questioning themselves. Instead, Rondo puts on a simply masterful performance, recording a triple-double as the Celtics outscore Cleveland by eight in the fourth to take Game 4 97-87. In this game, Hickson plays just over five minutes. Can I send in my application for the Cavaliers head coaching job now or later?
And then came Game 5, one of the most shocking NBA games I can remember. Despite holding Rondo in check for the first half, Boston dominated Cleveland in every facet of the game. Ray Allen was hitting one long jumper after another and KG put forth another solid game as the Celts went off for 100 points after the opening quarter en route to a 120-88 victory that left the Q stunned. LeBron James just looked lost from the start, and was unable to find any rhythm at all. Stars have off games, but this came at the worst possible time as LeBron's 3-14 performance all but buried the Cavs. A team with an inconsistent supporting cast such as Cleveland's won't be able to win big games when their MVP turns in that type of performance, and they got run out of the arena. I'm not sure we'll see a Game 5 like that anytime soon, and you knew the Cavs were dead men walking heading back to Bahhston.
Game 6 just seemed like the whole Cavaliers team was in a malaise. It was as if the players said, "Alright, it's clear that we have no chemistry at all, our superstar might leave and our rotation is effed up, so let's just get this thing over with." I thought Cleveland could have had one chance to win, and that was if LeBron took the ball to the basket play after play and forced the refs to make the calls. It worked for Dwayne Wade (25 FTA in Game 5 of the 2006 NBA Finals). James did this early on, and ended up finishing with one of the quietest triple-doubles ever recorded in NBA Playoffs history. But Cleveland never really gave off the attitude of "This series is NOT ending tonight." The game was close all along but I never once thought the Cavs would head back to their building for a Game 7. Cleveland managed a meager 36 points over the final two quarters and, in another odd twist, conceded the contest in the game's final minute by refusing to foul. Yet another sign that there was something seriously lacking with this squad, and it needed the intensity of the playoffs to be exposed.
And now the Cavaliers enter the most important offseason in franchise history. Is Mike Brown the right man to lead this team going forward? Should an effort be made to re-sign upcoming free agents Shaq and Ilgauskas? And then there's whole LBJ situation.
James has the ability to single-handedly destroy basketball in the city of Cleveland for the next 5-10 years. The 2000 summer was another summer that stands out in terms of a sole individual having this much power. Tim Duncan was this close to signing with the Magic, but eventually decided to stay with the Spurs and lead them to 3 more championships. LeBron's departure would deliver a crippling blow to a fanbase that has been through enough already. The lasting image of James with the Cavs would be of him, disgusted, taking off his #23 jersey after another playoff disappointment.
The Cavaliers and their fans had one goal this season: win an NBA Championship. Over the next month and a half, the goal will now be convincing "The Chosen One" to choose Cleveland. If he decides to go elsewhere, have we all been witnesses.... to the death of Cleveland basketball?
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