Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers

STAR-SPANGLED CAVALIER FANS

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Cavs fans sing anthem
Cavs fans sing anthem as one

I have had a long and meaningful relationship with the city of Cleveland via its annual Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K, an event I first announced in 1978. During that time I have come to know and commiserate with the city’s championship sporting blight, and was rooting hard for LeBron and the Cavs last night in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the defending champ Golden State Warriors.

What brought meaning to the “Land’s” first pro sport’s title in 52 years, though, wasn’t just LeBron’s triple/double excellence, or mid-year coach Ty Lue’s mid-game adjustments, like putting center Tristan Thompson on Steph Curry in the 4th quarter – he absolutely denied him the ball, ensuring that the two-time MVP couldn’t rise and rip away the game and title in a blur of late-game three-pointers. No, what I loved most, and what reflected the city best, was how the Cleveland Cavalier fans all sang the national anthem together before their home games rather than have somebody perform it for them.  (more…)

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DRAYMOND & LEBRON: CHARACTER COUNTS

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Draymond Green checking Lebron's inseam length
Draymond Green checking Lebron’s inseam length in Game 4

OK, more basketball. Game five NBA Finals. The defending champion Golden State Warriors up three games to one against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with an opportunity to close out the series at home at Oracle Arena where they had only lost two games all year. But with Draymond Green, the Warriors Mr. Everything, their heart and soul, suspended by the league office for a flagrant foul in game 4 against Lebron James — putting him over the flagrant foul limit in these playoffs — the Warriors fell to Lebron and Kyrie Irving 112 to 97 to move the series back to Cleveland for game six on Thursday night.

There are some who called BS on the league for their ex post facto ruling – “they got their thumb on the scale. They want a seven-game series” – considering that the game officials didn’t even call it a common foul in the game. But upon closer inspection – and it was easy to miss, which was Draymond’s intention – even though Lebron James initiated contact, it was Green who flicked his hand out in retaliation as he came off the floor, sending a ripple through Lebron’s private sector. That was the third such oopsy-doo to somebody’s ya-yas Green engaged in through these playoffs.  And three’s the charm, it seems.  Suspension administered.

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