The Cavs might as well not even show up; a look at the media previews of the NBA Finals

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Everyone predicted a rubber match between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers since, well, basically 5 minutes after Kyrie Irving drove a dagger into Warriors fans' hearts in Game 7. Or at least since the best team in the league, the one that one an NBA-record 73 games, who had the unanimous MVP, added the second best player in the world to its roster.

Now that the inevitable is upon us, let's see what the experts are saying. (Spoiler alert, nearly everyone believes the same thing.)

Zach Lowe, ESPN.com: (clickthrough to a great, lengthy analytical breakdown.) If Cleveland regresses to somewhere between its current form and its desultory regular-season play, this is a walkover. If the Warriors have another gear in reserve, this is a walkover. If neither of those things prove true, this is not a walkover. The Cavs have a fighting chance....The bet here, though, is that the Cavs fall short in a competitive series. Warriors in 6

Sam Amick, USA Today: Warriors in 6. "Curry, Green and Kevin Durant are playing at their peak, while Klay Thompson is the slumping shooter who's surely about to blow his top any minute now. The greatness of LeBron James, the continued ascension of Kyrie Irving and the better-than-ever comfort level of Kevin Love will be enough to help the Cavs put up a good fight, but this Warriors group is just too good to be beat."

SI's Lee Jenkins: Warriors in 5. "[Durant] doesn’t need to be sensational. Neither does Steph Curry nor Klay Thompson nor Draymond Green. If they simply play well, Golden State wins. The dynamic is different for James, just as it was in ’11. He has to be superhuman."

Sean Deveney, Sporting News: Warriors in 6. "[The Cavaliers] can’t keep pace with the Warriors, winners of 27 of their last 28 games, in terms of depth. The Cavs and Warriors went seven games last year, and Cleveland returns much the same lineup this time around. Golden State has lost Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes, but they brought in Durant, and his playoff performance to date — 25.2 points on 55.6 percent shooting — has been exactly what the Warriors wanted when they signed him last July."

SI's Chris Ballard: Warriors sweep in 4. " ...the only way to see the Warriors losing this series is if they self-sabotage, and that appears unlikely...[LeBron will] go down as the best ever and it may not be all that close by the time he’s done. But he cannot overcome this level of talent, cohesion, and depth. Last year, Golden State intentionally chased history in the regular season. This year they’ll make it, becoming the first team to go undefeated in the playoffs.

Kevin Pelton, ESPN.com: Cites a couple sources, from RPM, "Golden State would be expected to win in four games about 20 percent of matchups and win the series 88 percent of the time", and from "market-based PredictWise," "an implied probability of 72 percent for the Warriors to win the Finals."

SI's Ben Golliver: Warriors in 5. "The Warriors lack the best player in this series, but they possess more overall talent, better two-way balance, more useful depth, greater lineup versatility, and more individual match-ups to exploit. That, plus home-court advantage and a renewed focus following last year’s catastrophe, should be enough to complete the redemption mission.  "

SI's Matt Dollinger: Cavaliers in 6. [editor's note: WAIT A MINUTE WHAT IS THIS DOING HERE?] " The Cavaliers have the mental edge. This shouldn't be underestimated. LeBron is in the Warriors' heads. They genuinely fear him after being pushed to the brink of seppuku in last year's Finals. And as for the newcomer who wasn't around last June, why do you think he left Oklahoma City? He's done underestimating LeBron, too."

SI's Rob Mahoney: Warriors in 5. "These Warriors aren’t unbeatable, but to beat them four times in seven games would require some dramatic turn of events beyond what we could reasonably expect. These should be competitive games, all in all. I just don’t expect there to be all that many of them, given that Golden State is better prepared to handle just the kind of counters that wore them down over the course of last year’s Finals."

SI's Rohan Nadkarni: Warriors in 5.  "...there’s no sane reasoning for picking the Cavaliers... The Warriors are the more talented group, and they are playing with a feverish motivation after the embarrassment of last year’s Finals. Frankly, I wouldn’t be shocked if this series was a sweep. But I’ll also happily accept my comeuppance if LeBron makes me eat these words."

SI's DeAntae Prince: Warriors in 6.  "[The Cavs]  don't have enough to overwhelm a motivated Warriors team with a hungry Durant leading the charge. I never feel completely comfortable betting against LeBron, but this is the one team with the talent to overwhelm his Cavaliers.

SI's Jeremy Woo: Cavaliers in 7. [editor's note: WHO PUT THIS IN, AGAIN??] "...his is the best edition of the Warriors so far, [but] jumping to sensible conclusions with these teams isn’t always worth the energy. The best version to date of an all-time talented team that hasn’t even lost once in the playoffs should win, right? After all, the only rational basketball argument here is LeBron James, still at the peak of his remarkable powers, with an ascendant sidekick, Jordan’s records in his rearview mirror and all the motivation to repeat he could ever need. And you know what? Somehow… it all sounds kinda reasonable. Screw it—Cavs in seven."

Scott Rafferty, Sporting News: It's hard to quote from Rafferty's piece, but the jist of it is that the Warriors have a worse-than-death-play with a Durant-Curry pick and roll that is much better than the Green-Curry pick and roll that the Cavs were able to counter last year, and that the league hasn't seen it much because they are holding it for these very Finals. (That's actually Chad Lowe's supposition.)

Chris Barnewall, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 7. "I was so close to picking Cleveland. So very close.[But the Warriors] had the best offense all season. Their defense has been incredible all season. They've just been more consistent and they added Kevin freakin' Durant. Don't be surprised if Cleveland takes this the distance again, but Golden State just has too much incredible talent on its roster."

Tom Ley, Deadspin: "I mean, the Warriors are probably going to win, but I’ve managed to talk myself into believing that the Cavs can win. I will believe this up until Durant drops 40 points in each of the first two games and the Cavs go down 0-2. How about you?"

Maurice Moton, Bleacher Report: Cavs in 7. [Editor's note: OKAY THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS.] "Many feel Durant tilts the balance in the Warriors' favor for an early knockout, but Love's arrival on the big stage along with the Cavaliers' deep bench rotation evens the playing field."

Bill Reiter, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 7. "The back-and-forth series is punctuated by LeBron James again rising to another level with a championship on the line, and Curry asserting himself and looking again like a unanimous MVP comes down to the final game. This time, the Warriors win at home at Oracle and the confetti falls for them and their revenge tour." (Editor's note: this prediction wasn't really worth anything, as it didn't say anything.)

Ethan Skolnick, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 7. "While James will be spectacular, and while we saw he can steal a seventh game at Oracle, that home court edge has to count for something at some point. This time, the fortified Warriors, with lessons learned from their sloppy finish, close stronger."

SI's Andrew Sharp: Warriors in 5.  "... LeBron is why I'm giving the Cavs a game here. But the Warriors are probably too good to make this any closer. Golden State has a better chance at sweeping this series than the Cavs do at winning it. They are too explosive on offense, and too relentless on defense, and too good at creating fatal mismatches.  All of that was true even last year, and that was before the third-best player in basketball joined the second-best player in basketball on the best team in the league. I won't overthink it from there. This seems like it may be a more interesting matchup on paper than it will be on the court. It's great that both teams are healthy and rolling, yes, but when this year's Warriors are rolling, nothing else matters. Not even LeBron."James Herbert, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 6. "I would have picked the Warriors in five before the playoffs started, but the Cavs' run through the East makes that seem disrespectful."

Matt Moore, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 6.  "Durant's just too much, he's just really such a great player and when you add him to this team, there's just too much there for the Cavs to handle. The Warriors will overwhelm them with talent, will stay focused, will find enough offensive answers to outlast LeBron James,.."

Jack Maloney, CBSSports.com: Warriors in 5. "Last year's meeting between these two probably would have ended in five games if a certain...um...incident hadn't happened, and now the Warriors have Kevin Durant."

Brad Botkin, CBSSports.com: Cavs in 7. "You can call up all the advanced stats you want, but basketball, when you really get down to to it, particularly in playoff situations that often come down to winning a few crucial possessions, tends to be pretty simple: Best player wins. Give me LeBron in another epic series."

Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today: Warriors in 6. "The Cavs have enough offensive power to win games in the series, but do they have enough defense to win the series? The Cavs’ defense has been questioned all season, and it improved during the playoffs. But Cleveland didn’t face an offense like Golden State’s, nor did the Warriors face an offense like the Cavs’...in this series, the burden of proof is on Cleveland’s defense.]

Michael Singer, USA Today: Warriors in 7. "The Warriors are a devastating group that not only have last year's collapse still lingering in their minds, but also an inherent motivation in Steve Kerr."

AJ Neuharth-Keusch, USA Today: Warriors in 6. "This is a Cavaliers team that struggled mightily on the defensive end in the regular season. Sure, they've been significantly better in the playoffs, but their first three opponents couldn't hold a candle to Golden State. Simple as it sounds, the Warriors are just too strong and talented on both ends of the floor to end another campaign without the Larry O'Brien Trophy."

The ESPN gaggle:

ESPN's Basketball Power Index: 93% chance of the Warriors winning the series (at the end of a large statistical breakdown of the players and teams.

ESPN's FiveThirtyEight: 90% chance of the Warriors winning the series.

ESPN's Fan Panel: 70% chance of the Warriors winning the series.

Worrying about the Cavs on the eve of the playoffs

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Cavs roar into the 2017 postseason, or so we hope

 In this the Year 1 ATC (After The Championship), Cleveland fans may have gotten complacent, maybe even a little bored, watching the Cavaliers slog thorough a long regular season before the only season that matters cranks up in earnest. 

You also have to wonder if the Cavs themselves feel the same, considering this tremendously talented team has complied a 26-24 record since January 1. This season's squad has cycled through two dozen players as well as numerous lineup changes, while displaying an exasperating inability to stop opposing teams at the point of attack.

Call it a championship hangover or frustration at not having a consistently healthy lineup from night to night. For a postseason shoe-in like Cleveland, the regular season is an 82-game lab experiment of rotations and schemes leading to a two-month meat-grinder where all that preparation pays off. But the Wine and Gold appeared to still be figuring things out as Coach Ty Lue eschewed seeding for resting his top stars.

So if there's a switch to be flipped, the Cavs better be flexing their, uh, flipping fingers as they prepare for this afternoon's first-round opener against the Pacers. Nobody needs to be reminded of the all-world talent on this roster. Just as critically, the Cavs won't have to deal with back-to-backs or long road trips. Logic tells me that LeBron and Co. will be focused, rejuvenated and ready for another lengthy playoff run.

Or are those optimistic adjectives just me whistling past the graveyard? It's freaking hard to repeat, and even getting out of the East is no longer the near certainty it was at the beginning of the year. If last year's beautiful championship dream hadn't happened, I'd be grimly waiting for the hammer to fall. As it stands, I'm willing to see how things play out.

Ideally, the next week will lay to rest stories about injuries and lackadaisical play, and reintroduce the intense, fun-loving group that brought Cleveland so much joy one year ago.

note: credit for the image of Lebron used above goes to @elliotgerard and @graphatick

Tower City redface murals (updated)

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Update on the murals.

By 12/7/16 the redface Indian fan photos have been removed from Tower City.

Whether it was this blog's small voice, or someone else in a more influential position that forced the change, we'll probably never know. Hopefully in the future they will replace them with more decent memorable fan photos, like this one.

Selby is God sign Opening Day 2016

See my original post below from 11/22/2016

While taking walking through Tower City at lunch time today, I noticed they have recently adorned the empty storefronts with new photo murals highlighting some of the history and sites of Cleveland. Very large prints of the West Side Market, Old Arcade circa 1905 and 1966, The Q during the playoffs, aerial shots of downtown etc. are displayed for everyone who walks by. I actually found myself stopping to look more closely at the details to see what’s changed, and what's still the same over the years. For what amounts to an easy change it’s really impressive, and great idea vs the plain painted black windows.

I continued on my walk then I came across this gem of Progressive Field on Opening Day 2012, flanked with of life size photos of Indians fans….in redface.

No matter where you fall on the debate of Chief Wahoo (for the record I’m all for keeping him with an appropriate redesign) it’s a little surprising and shocking that Tower City would okay the use of these pictures, when there are thousands of non-controversial Indians fan pictures to choose from. Given all the bad publicity surrounding Chief Wahoo, and fans dressed as indians during the Playoffs and World Series it was shocking to say the least when I came across the window*. 

*The redface window coincidentally replaced the seasonal calendar/toy store I frequented this time of year to grab last minute/hard to find items which were sold out in similar stores in the suburbs. So not only was I shocked at the photo, but also shocked that my favorite last minute Christmas shopping/oh shit I need a gift store closed. 

Tribe gives Cleveland a reason to be proud

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First thing's first. 

This isn't a moral victory post, or some sad epitaph talking about how glad I am the Indians made the World Series, by golly. I'm very unhappy the Tribe now stands on the wrong side of history, in particular the fact they, dare I say it, blew a 3-1 lead to catapult Cubs Nation into conniptions of curse-breaking joy.

A moment of joy

There's no participant ribbon here, folks. Fox could should me another hundred little old ladies in blue and white, and I still wouldn't have felt sorry if the Indians had completed their Game 7 comeback.

Still, those uglier feelings can't take away how proud I am of this 2016 Indians squad, blown series lead and all. Here was a roster hamstrung by injuries to the point where the Tribe's own beat writer called the playoffs over before they'd even begun. A franchise with a payroll dwarfed by not just the "lovable" Northsiders, but by their ALDS and ALCS opponents as well.

The 2016 Tribe, put very simply, was fun, delivering some of the most exciting moments I've every witnessed as a Cleveland sports fan. Think Tyler Naquin rocking out after his walk-off inside-the -park homer against Toronto. Think Adam Miller acting as a lanky angel of death against opposing batters. Think Tito Francona cobbling together a playoff gameplan that squeezed every ounce of talent out of what he had available.

Ultimately, the Cubs got hot and the Indians ran out of bodies. I can't get mad at Miller, Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin for succumbing to workload and a murderous Cubs' lineup. I cannot even get upset with Bryan Shaw for taking the "L" after a momentum-sapping rain delay. Maybe I can be little perturbed at Mike Napoli for not hitting his weight during the post-season, but let's not go there now.

Even when the Tribe looked dead during the deciding game, they still almost shocked the world. Rajai Davis's eight-inning home run wasn't enough, but the team's comeback in the highest of high-pressure situations somehow makes me feel better about the depressing finish.

A part of that attitude stems from the Cavs winning in June - without that to hold onto, this column probably doesn't get written  - but it was gratifying to see the Indians not skulk quietly away into the night, as so many Cleveland teams have before them.

You could also say the Indians are ahead of schedule, what with the pitching injuries and the year-long absence of Michael Brantley. The Tribe's young hitting core will return next year, as will Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. Given baseball's volatile nature and how freaking hard it is to reach the sport's pinnacle, there are no guarantees the team will be in this position again. Even so, the Indians gave fans more than they could ask for this post-season, and that is a joy in and of itself.  

This is our story

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Years ago a Cleveland sports personality - I think it was late broadcaster Casey Coleman - lamented the shortage of good memories among the local fanbase since the Browns had won the NFL Championship decades before.

Not to say we didn't have warm remembrances of certain seasons, or even stretches of seasons, where one team or another was playing at a championship level. Fun was had. High fives were given. A few second place banners were raised up flagpoles or into rafters.

Prior to last weekend, my most cherished Cleveland sports memory was intermingled with my worst: The improbable, near glorious 1997 Indians post-season run, which found a group of dorky Ohio State students crammed into a downstairs apartment on Chittenden Avenue, passing a souvenir Municipal Stadium bat from one sweaty hand to another as a good luck gesture for each successive Tribe at-bat.

It was a great ride, though tied to a 9th-inning Mesa meltdown that became part of the torturous lore of Cleveland sports; a seemingly perpetual way of existence where we named our failures as if they were our kids.   

Cavs give the business on way to second straight Finals

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Good times

There was an almost a businesslike atmosphere as Friday night's final buzzer heralded the Cavaliers to their second straight NBA Finals. 

Not to say the team wasn't excited, as hugs were exchanged and daps* given. Locker room footage showed the team dousing each other in water and chocolate milk instead of champagne. Asked by reporters about the lack of post-game bubbly, LeBron James replied matter-of-factly, "We didn't have champagne."

No doubt the celebration got more raucous later in the night, but the team's on-camera demeanor was in some part muted and thoughtful, as if finishing 14-2 in the Eastern Conference playoffs shouldn't be cause for Dom Perignon-spritzing joy.

These Cavs are way past the "glad-to-be-here" stage, even as two members of the Big Three get ready for their first real taste of championship-round basketball. Fully healthy and coming off a series where the average margin of victory was a ridiculous 28 points, this squad is playing the best it ever has a unit.

Obviously, that workmanlike attitude comes from James, who along with teammate James Jones will be tipping off his sixth straight Finals on Thursday. This latest run started two summers ago with a famous 'Coming home' letter, where James and/or his marketing team told a hungry fanbase that nothing is given, everything is earned.

Similar sentiments came from James early this morning after putting the Raptors to bed, as reported by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com: "We earned the right to be here and represent the Eastern Conference in The Finals," James said. "We're not supposed to be here. We earned our right."

These words echo over a long year that witnessed a mid-season firing as well as stretches of lackadaisical hoopage where the entire roster was seemingly encased in "chill mode." The Cavs play this post-season has been far from chilly, yet the team remains focused, calm and prepared for that next, final step.

*Author's note: "Dap" is street lingo for the knocking of fists together as a form of greeting or respect.

The screams, the humiliation, the fact that it wasn't the Browns!

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Mere moments after the Cincinnati Bengals humiliating playoff loss to their cross-state rivals, the ever watchful Internet of Memes went to work. 

Sorry not sorry

The Michael Jordan crying face was superimposed over the Bengals logo and replaced the heads of various Cincinnati players and fans. Meanwhile, this heartbroken young woman was immortalized in gif form, doomed to weep over her team's failures in a loop forever.

Not surprisingly, Cleveland was dragged into this depressing conversation, thanks to shared geography and a recent history of gridiron ineptitude. Bengals fan and ex-boybander Nick Lachey gave Cleveland its dubious props with this woebegone tweet :

I'm done. A broken man. I can't do it anymore. This is insanity. Only Cleveland knows more pain. Change is needed. #Bengals #WhoDey

— Nick Lachey (@NickLachey) January 10, 2016

The Tweet of God, always subtle as a kick to the sweetmeats in His holy Cleveland-bashing, had this to report:

I hate Cleveland, but Cincinnati hates Cincinnati. #CINvsPIT

— God (@TheTweetOfGod) January 10, 2016

I was rooting for the Bengals, mainly because I wanted them to beat the Steelers. However, here in the post-humiliation aftermath I don't exactly feel bad for Cincy's devastated fanbase, either. It's actually kind of nice to have the improbable, embarrassing, grasping-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory moment thrust upon another city.

This is an uncharitable thought so devoid of empathy as to be borderline sociopathic. What are you gonna do, though? I can't help it. It's not a matter of schadenfreude, it's more a sense of relief that the shit is hitting someone else's fan(s), for once.

Let another city hand-wring over what could have been. Let them parse that one play that could have turned soul-deadening defeat into the first post-season win in two decades. (Personally, I'd be more haunted by the Jeremy Hill fourth-quarter fumble than Vontaze Burfict and former TNA World Tag Team Champion Adam Jones losing their respective minds. See, I'm not a monster!)

If nothing else, the Bengals' meltdown can take our minds off the latest "smartest guy in the room" shenanigans taking place in Berea. We  have a former lawyer with no personnel experience making roster decisions. What could go wrong? Thanks to Cincinnati's agony-inducing incompetence last night, that's one rhetorical question we don't have to examine for at least a day or two.

Thank you, Bengals!

What CST thinks about the NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors

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Cavaliers in 6. 

This is going to be a crazy amazing series, I believe. My fingernails are bleeding in anticipation. The Cavs have not seen a team like the Warriors. Steph Curry blows my mind, those shots in 0.0001 seconds, the spin move breaking Chris Paul's (!) ankles, his pretty-darn-cute daughter stealing the show. And Klay Thompson. WTF? 37 points in one quarter? I'm not sure I would have thought that was possible before he pulled that out.

So basically, if Cleveland can't D up on Golden State's guards, it's over.

That said, I think they can. Kyrie's knee notwithstanding, JR Smith and Iman Shumpert have been playing excellent defense, and Coach David Blatt always has "a certain number 23" to switch on when needed. Not to mention Mr. Dellavadova. If he plays his balls-to-the-wall defense on Curry or Thompson, you never know how deep into their heads he can get.  And it's not like the Cavs shooters can't get blistering hot. JR Smith literally can get as hot as Steph Curry, just not every single day.

Then again, LeBron James is the difference. I don't see any of the LeBron stoppers on Golden State shutting him down by themselves, and when they double, if Moz and TT roll to the rim, or JR or Kyrie is open in the corner, the Cavaliers can pour points down with the best of them. And by the best, I mean the Golden State Warriors. I feel the Cavs steal Game One or Two, and close out at home in 6. My heart is there, but my head is saying the Warriors can win in 5, 6, or 7 games though.

So here we go. Because the Warriors haven't seen a team like the Cavs, either.

Cavaliers in 6

What a season its been. This time last year the Spurs humbled the Heat in the finals. Now LeBron is back in Cleveland and back in the Finals. When the Cavs made it in 2007 I was just happy they got there. I foolishly thought they could compete with the Spurs and we all know what happened. This time is different. The team is playing great defense and the shots are falling at the right time. Something doesn't feel the same this time and I mean that in a good way. The Warriors haven't played against this good of a defense this playoffs. It wont be pretty but if LeBron is focused along with the rest of the team, they will be hard to beat.  

Cavaliers in 6

Golden State is an offensive powerhouse that emerged from a Western Conference meat grinder to make the Finals. But the battered, bruised Cavaliers are the tougher team, led by a man on a mission. Lord help me, but the Cavs are going to bring Cleveland its first championship in half a century.

 

Warriors in 7

I'm going with my head and not my heart here. Kevin Love is out, Kyrie Irving is hurt, and I'm just not sure LeBron can do it alone. Golden State has too many weapons, and while LeBron can keep it close and win some game, it won't be enough to win it all.

Abstaining.

Eight days of talking heads and tweets, Finals predictions out the backside, and ad nauseam-analysis. I won't add to the madness. Not because I'm tired of our culture's pre-series rituals, but because I'm not in the business of handicapping which way the ball bounces. That's my longwinded way of saying this matchup is anyone's guess.

What I know: in our CST NBA preview, I suggested that someone besides Irving or Love will be stepping up in June. Because that's what always happens in the NBA Finals--insert random role player knocking down big shots HERE. The good news for Cavalier supporters is that when LeBron is in full-tilt, you can surround him with any four starters in the Association, and he will triumph. Since LBJ was humiliated in the 2011 Finals, he has become such a Grandmaster on the court that beating him four out of seven tries is a few feats short of impossible. The Spurs seem to have the formula, nearly edging him three times, by somehow closing off passing routes before the plays develop. They bait Bron into taking good shots, if that makes sense. In Coach Pop's mind, that beats the alternative of LeBron making All-Stars out of surrounding shooters.

Still, this Warrior squad is hella deep, well-coached and they dig-in defensively at every key moment. And a 10-15 point lead against Golden State is essentially worthless. They shoot themselves back in the game so quickly, opposing teams have to wonder if they were ever winning in the first place. So I fear Steph Curry in a way that I've never feared another baller. Oh, yes, I also rooted for his Dad. Which means I've been doing this Cavs fan thing for so long and I want this so damn badly, I truly have no way of seeing straight right now. I'm sure you understand, Cleveland. CAVS BASKETBALL, TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT...COME ON CAVS!!!

Cavaliers in 7

Dreams fulfilled! Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!
 

Cavaliers in 6
The versatility of our guards to defend Curry and Thompson is the key.









On Vacation.
But, trust us, he likes the Cavs.

Cavs clincher demands satisfaction

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This guy! 

Thursday night's semifinal series finisher putting the Cavaliers over the bastard-tough Bulls was by no means the most exciting Cleveland sports victory I've ever witnessed. It had no moments that will be burned into the brain forever, like Kenny Lofton sprinting home from second on a passed ball or LeBron James historically dropping 25 straight points on the Pistons. 

What the win did bring was a warm feeling of satisfaction, which may end up becoming more fulfilling than a few "I remember when" highlights. This Cavs squad has overcome a post-season filled with adversity. Really, it's been a season of strife and injury woes, of newbie coaches on the hot seat and silly TMZ-worthy non-stories about superstar players writing passive-aggressive tweets about their teammates. Remember when the Cavs were 19-20, James was rehabbing in Miami, and rumors of David Blatt's firing were sizzling across the newswires?

Hope and change: LeBron James returns to Cleveland

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This guy knows what's up

LeBron James the man has been dissected like a frog in a high-school science lab ever since the summer of 2010. Turncoat. Diva. Frontrunner. 

I've written mean things about James and have thought worse. Think an icy road, a steep incline and a cement truck with faulty brakes. To me he was a soulless scumbucket with all the cultural awareness and dignity of a toaster oven. 

Now, The Letter Part 2 has arrived, an old-school lightning bolt from above that has come without fanfare, Decisions, or pro wrestling-style player intros. James's "essay," published on Sports Illustrated's website today, ushers in a new era of Cavs basketball, and, on a much larger scale, serves as an enormous boost for the city of Cleveland in too many ways to count.

Stunned is the operative word right now. Not elated, just a feeling of fullness and possibility, for both the team and for Northeast Ohio. James is the best basketball player on the planet, but much more importantly he can also stand as a symbol for prosperity and change. Maybe the guy many thought was a heartless mercenary has grown up. And maybe the city he's coming back to will continue to evolve right along with him. 

LeBron Watch 2014: Are we having fun yet?

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The waiting is the most difficult aspect.

So dawns another day of refreshing Twitter to see if cupcake lady, shirtless personal trainer guy, or anyone with actual concrete information knows anything about the landing spot of mega free agent/hometown hero/worse-than-Hitler traitorous scum LeBron James. 

Analysts have already predicted a 68 percent drop-off in work productivity regionally today as legions of office drones constantly check their phones for any shred of news. No need to be embarrassed, Cleveland. That's just how we roll, for better or worse.

Whether LeBron Watch 2014 is another Cleveland sports version of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown remains to be seen. In the meantime, people seem to be having fun with the so-called Decision II. A local sports-talk radio station has led the optimism charge, creating catchy hashtags and playing "Happy" during ad breaks. 

Money man Irving must step into leadership role for Cavs

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Lead on, dude!

Kyrie Irving signed a max deal this week in refreshingly drama-free fashion. No fuss, no muss, just a tweet from Dan Gilbert and a video of the newly minted gazillionaire dancing in celebration. 

Life is good for the 22-year-old point guard, and better for Cleveland fans tired of the speculation that Irving wanted out of town. At the very least, many thought he would take more than two minutes to agree to a long-term extension.

That's not the case and Irving's here for the long haul. The next step for him is to return to the leadership role he was growing into during his first two years with the franchise. Those were the "Mr. Fourth Quarter" days, when the point guard with the illest dribble in the association (Author's Note: "illest" is street slang for "nothing better than") was breaking ankles and crushing last-second jumpers in fearless fashion.

Better to be good than lucky

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Save us, Johnny!

If you haven't heard, Cleveland has the luckiest unlucky fanbase in the entire sports universe.

The Cavaliers just came off winning their third draft lottery in four years, while the Browns became a national story for non-criminal reasons thanks to the whirlwind arrival of Johnny Manziel. The Indians got into the action, too, sweeping the division-leading Tigers in what may have been a season-saving series. 

All we are saying is give Pettine a chance

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It took twenty-five days, but the Browns finally found their coach.

This man awaits your blind acceptance. 

That's three weeks and change of looking like the lonely 8th grader at the school dance, hands in the pockets of his freshly pressed Dockers as the ballad-y strains of Extreme's "More Than Words" echo through the crepe paper-strewn gymnasium. (Author's note: I'm not projecting here, just offering a very specific metaphor. Lay off, damn ya!) 

Six-hundred hours of poisonous whispers regarding a head coaching position that's allegedly viewed by as "radioactive" by league insiders. Thirty-six thousand minutes of Twitter filling up with easy jokes (some made by yours truly, admittedly) taking shots at the low-hanging fruit that is this clown show of a franchise. It got so bad that national scribes were writing pity columns defending the downtrodden denizens of Cleveland from mean old outsiders dogging the city and its awful football team.

Oh no, not again: Are the new Browns the same as the old Browns?

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It wasn't supposed to be like this anymore.

Do you trust these men?

Eighteen months ago Cleveland Browns' owner Randy Lerner sold the town's most beloved sports franchise to Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam. The move was long overdue, as the team's losing ways and shabby sideshow of a front office had made it a national punchline. 

Now that the room has been cleared and an entire new ownership group brought in, how is it possible that things may be even worse than the days of Bottlegate and "F*ck you" emails? Not just an unending stream of bad football - Browns fans are used to that - but the horribly familiar feeling that those in charge have no idea how to improve the situation?

Bennett pick sheds unkind light on Cavs' GM Grant

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 If only Anthony Bennett let off this kind of steam (Trust me, that's funny).

Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown and Greg Oden. Three names that will forever live in infamy as well as compilations of the worst overall No. 1 draft picks in NBA history.

The career of Anthony Bennett  is still in its infancy, but the rookie forward's lack of readiness for the rigors of the pro game has put him on the short list for Bleacher Report's next "NBA's Most Shocking Draft Busts" column. 

If Bennett's numbers spoke for themselves, they'd be slurring like a drunk coming off a four-day bender. In 22 games, the NBA's top selection for 2013 has scored 50 points on 29 percent shooting.  Bennett averages ten minutes a game, though even in these brief stints he appears lost in Mike Brown's offense, getting few looks near the basket and flicking up panic jumpers like a guy playing pick-up at the local rec center.

2013 Browns give fans little reason for optimism

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It's been a rough first year for Banner and Co.

The dialogue from local sports scribes these last few weeks has centered on whether or not the Browns are better than last year. Remember that relaxing bye week we had in early November? Cleveland had just beaten the champs and a glorious season of seven or eight wins seemed possible. A month later and the team is staring at the possibility of not even matching last year's five-win total, a song so part and parcel of Browns' fandom that we should be collecting royalty checks. 

Comparing the 2012 and 2013 seasons is like choosing what strain of herpes you'd rather contract. Even the numbers are basically the same: As compiled by The Plain Dealer, last year's team finished 25th in the league in points; this year's offense is actually worse in that rather important category, ranking 27th before yesterday's washout against the Jets. The 2013 Browns are giving up more points this season, too, standing at 21st in the NFL as compared to a 19th-place finish last year.

Strong words can't mask stench of Browns' return to obscurity

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I'm singin' to myself, there's got to be another way.

Just two months ago I was sitting in the upper levels of the Dawg Pound as the Cleveland Browns were polishing off Cincinnati in dominating fashion. It was a great win against a division foe, punctuated by two touchdown passes from hometown kid Bryan Hoyer and an aggressive performance by Ray Horton's defense. 

It was a fantastic day for Cleveland sports and an exhilarating one as well. Many high fives were given and/or received that chilly autumn Sunday, I can tell you, while the guy one seat over generously offered me his beef jerky. Whether that last is a euphemism is for the courts to hash out.

Anyway, that first Cinci game was one that made you want to believe a corner was being turned on a season and perhaps even on a decade-and-a-half of futile football. The Browns were actually being discussed as playoff contenders, if not a threat to take the division in a down year for the Steelers and Ravens.

Freedom '13: Reaching the breaking point with the Browns

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Just say no!

Today's game against that bullying big brother known as the Steelers may be the one that makes Browns' Sundays just another day of the week for many people. Instead of watching the un-killable Brandon Weeden start against the Jaguars next weekend, folks may take the time to winterize the car, paint the den, or visit the new atrium at the art museum; it's supposed to be very nice. 

Breaking up with the 2013 Browns doesn't make you disloyal, it makes you smart. Reports from FirstEnergy Stadium  had perhaps 60,000 people at today's game. Next week's meaningless contest against Jacksonville may have 30,000 empty seats, and if that transpires I would say, "Huzzah." 

Browns' defeat has many fathers

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It's not all your fault, Brandon.

Browns fans have short fuses and long memories. One bad game - hell, one bad quarter - is often all it takes for us to turn on a player, particularly if that person is a quarterback, a position that for all intents and purposes has been vacant ever since Bill Belichick determined that Bernie Kosar's skills had diminished. 

It's quite possible that this town will never forget the pass Brandon Weeden threw at the 4:36 mark of the fourth quarter in today's 31-17 loss against the Lions. That is, Weeden's flippy backhand schoolyard throw will be archived and wondered over on the North Coast until the sun itself expands and engulfs the earth in a final conflagration of molten death. At the very least, Weeden's self-proclaimed "boneheaded"  late-game interception will be mulled over and examined and discussed until the inevitable moment his locker is fumigated and he's given a plane ticket to Anywhere U.S.A.