C:tB Reader 5-On-5 (Finals Edition)

Gimme five!

Way back in February, during the All-Star Break when the Cavs were in the midst of their massive second half resurgence, the C:tB crew reached out to five of their long tenured and more prolific readers/commenters and gave them a chance to respond to five questions about their views on many things Cavalier. For some reason, I got selected to be one of the lucky candidates on that occasion, and I was supremely flattered to have the opportunity to contribute my opinions beyond the comments section.

Little did I know, that 5-on-5 piece would be the proverbial gateway drug to me becoming a full-time contributor to this amazing site. The overwhelming support and comments I’ve received in the months since then have really served to add an entirely new dimension, not just to my Cavs fandom, but to my life in general. It’s also given me some genuinely unique perspective on this “Season of Wow.”

Consequently, I thought it was only right to pass along the opportunity to contribute to another quintet from the Commentariat. This time around, the questions go right to the heart of being a Cavs fan, what a potential championship might mean, and some of the more memorable moments from an amazing season at C:tB. So, kick back and enjoy the responses from your readership brethren: Phil Hubbard, cwzagger, Joey B (no he’s not Joey Bosa, but it was the best visual I could come up with), Underdog (who is switching back from U-Dog in honor of the Cavs being “underdogs” in the Finals), and NOMAD (WHO NATURALLY RESPONDED IN ALL CAPS).

1. What is the origin of your Cavs fandom?

Phil Hubbard: My family moved from Ohio before the Cavs existed. By the time we moved, I was an Indians and Browns fan (just from having lived there and having immediate family who were also fans). I was a big hoops fan — I loved Dr. J and David Thompson and the whole “Semi-Pro”/ABA era of serious swag, which is why I keep making “Semi-Pro” references in the comments — but I didn’t have a No. 1 team that the Cavs would replace. When the Cavs were founded, we added them to the rooting bundle, like ESPNU or MTV2. We were Cleveland fans and there was a new Cleveland team, so we followed them from afar — which back then meant checking the scores in the paper the next day; it might have been five years before they were on national TV. It wasn’t a big emotional investment; it was sort of like taking a flyer on a penny stock that might be worth something someday. Then they started to improve. In 1975, they almost made the playoffs, and 1976 was the Miracle year. If there wasn’t much emotional investment before, there certainly was after the Washington and Boston playoff series that year. (Chones’s foot! Thurmond’s cheap fouls!) The Cavs’ emergence also coincided with my own glorious high school hoops career as a JV scrub, which maybe deepened the connection. After that, the Cavs were no longer just a curiosity. They were on equal footing with the Browns and Indians, with just as many ups and downs and calamitous moments to come.

NOMAD: I HAVE RESIDED IN SMALL TOWN RIGHT ON LAKE ERIE ( THE FISHING/ BOATING IS FANTASTIC ) 5 MILES AWAY FROM CEDAR PT–40 MILES AWAY FROM CLEVELAND—-HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SPORTS FANATIC —AM “MATURE” ENOUGH ( NOTICE I DID NOT USE THE WORD OLD ) TO HAVE WATCHED THE BROWNS TITLE WIN AND HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH THE 51 YR “PURGATORY”—(IT’S NOT PURGATORY IT HAS BEEN HELL !!!) OF CLEVELAND SPORTS TEAMS NOT WINNING A TITLE

HAVE A CARD COLLECTION ( LATE 50’S / 60’S / 70’S ) IN ALL SPORTS THAT WOULD RIVAL ANYBODY’S ( MY GRANDSON WILL INHERIT THAT AND PROBABLY BECOME RICH )—PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SPORTS ( TRACK AND BASKETBALL ) AND HAVE BEEN A HIGH SCHOOL COACH FOR ALMOST 30 YRS ( CROSS / BASKETBALL / TRACK )—MY GOOD FORTUNE HAD ME STUMBLE ACROSS CTB THE SUMMER OF 2013 BEFORE THE INFAMOUS “GUMDROPBEAR” PICK  (DUBIOUS TIME TO COME ON BOARD ) I AM AN ADDICT NOW —USED TO RACE TO TURN ON ESPN / NOW IT IS TO JOIN MY CTB BROTHERS TO GET ENLIGHTENED AND SHARE OUR VIEWS / LAUGHTER / HEARTACHES

cwzagger: I guess just being born in Cleveland. Basketball was always my favorite sport growing up but it’s funny because I remember my dad taking me to Cavs games as a kid and, me being the weirdo I was, I’d sometimes get upset and feel bad for the other team that was getting beat. Also, being a kid, I obviously had a major infatuation with MJ in the early-mid ’90s, so I flirted with Bulls fandom for a minute there. It wasn’t until moving away to upstate New York in 4th grade that I truly embraced my Cleveland roots, and began repping the Cavs hard; the LeBron era 1.0 served to make me rabid.

Underdog: I grew up a Sixers fan in the original Firelands – not far from Norwalk, CT (freaky, because I currently live in Norwalk, Ohio). Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Cunningham were my heroes. I went to college in Cleveland and the 1975-76 team that lost to Boston in the Conference Finals got my attention with players like Austin Carr, Campy Russell and Jim Chones. I remember watching the game when AC scored 61 points playing for Notre Dame in the 1970 NCAA tournament, and was intrigued about watching him play for the Cavs. Chones was a tough inside player and Campy had a funky, difficult-to-block, over-the-head shot that was money. The next year the Cavs started the season 8-0 and won their first nine home games. The city went crazy and I began to get caught up in it. The franchise was young and had promise, and Cleveland loved them.

Then the Cuyahoga River caught fire, the city went into default, Lake Erie was polluted, the city’s buildings were gray with steel mill soot, and — during the winters of 1977 and ’78 — my nose hairs froze up for the first time in my life. I moved to Seattle and resumed following the Sixers through the eighties with Dr. J, Moses Malone, Mo Cheeks and the like, which was probably a good thing since Ted Stepien took over and obliterated the Cavs. Maybe it was the NBA’s first tank attempt, because a re-emergence started with Brad Daugherty as the first pick of the 1986 draft and Mark Price in the second.

In 1992 my wife (who was also from Ohio) said that it was time to move back and raise a family. My kids were small, the Cavs were starting on their downturn, and I didn’t have any time for them or much interest in the NBA. By the time 2003 rolled around the Cavs had been mediocre to bad for a while. My kids were getting older though, and there wasn’t much to do during the cold winter nights. But there was a buzz about this local kid playing for St. Vincent – St. Mary’s in Akron. The nation’s attention was on him and there was a chance that the Cavs would have the opportunity to draft him. The Cavs won the lottery and there was hope. That night I started becoming a Cavs fan again. The Cavs began to win with LeBron and they were exciting to watch. By the time he left, I had been hooked for several years. Interestingly, even after LeBron’s departure, and the Cavs drafted Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, I became more hooked. I had the hope and expectation that the young team that was being assembled would rise again, and I was willing to follow them through difficult times. Then LeBron came back…

Joey B: I feel a little embarrassed to say I’m a Cavs fan because of LeBron, but that’s probably true. I was born in Ohio, equidistant from Cleveland and Cincinnati. My family were Browns fans, no question, but for some reason also liked the Reds. I never got into the Reds that much. And we were such a football family that there was no rooting interest in any basketball team. Left to my own devices I reluctantly became a Knicks fan. I have no idea why. I think I just liked the name. Then I moved to New York and it fit. Pat Ewing, Alan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, and Marcus Camby. Fun times. At some point, probably during the many Browns Backers games I went to every week, I adopted all things Cleveland because I enjoyed people from Cleveland so much. The Indians, and then the Cavs. But I wasn’t officially a Cavs “fan” until the year LeBron was drafted. I began watching him in earnest because he was amazing to watch. Then I was hooked. When he left, I hated him as much as any lifelong Cavs fan and refused to watch Miami play, excepting only the Mavs Championship game. I have completely abandoned the Knicks, just like Phil Jackson.

2. If the Cavs win the NBA Title this year, who would you be most happy for, and why?

cwzagger: There are a lot of individuals in the basketball world I’d be happy for, but more than anything I would celebrate for the people of Cleveland. This digs deeper than the fandom of Cavalier Nation — a championship would be an entire city/region exhaling in unison as the proverbial monkey is jettisoned off the back into deep space. Cleveland in general has experienced some rough times and been a national punchline for decades. While the region has been on a slow rise for years, a sports championship would be an instantly tangible, universally recognized validation for Northeast Ohio. Basketball is just a game, but sports have a tendency to unite regions based on common experiences and special moments shared between fans. Knowing that a pro sports title being won by my favorite team would bring an unfamiliar jubilance — however fleeting — to my hometown, which hasn’t experienced such a feeling since I’ve been alive, would be the greatest treat of all.

Underdog: Over the course of the season the Cleveland Cavaliers have morphed from being the Big Three into the Big One. It is now one team, and one city. I would be most happy for any “Clevelander” — every one of the ecstatic fans that rejoiced when LeBron announced he was returning home. I see the excitement of every fan that is interviewed by the media and I am most happy for that person. I would also be happy for Dan Gilbert, David Griffin, and David Blatt – what a team that has been! What a classy group! Thank you, Dan Gilbert. I’m happy for you. And, of course, LeBron James, QED. (I have accomplished that which I have set forth to do.) He will have returned home and fulfilled his own dream and, along with that, the dream of every Clevelander. Throughout his career he has remained stalwart in the face of media pressure and opposition in a manner that none of us could have. He emerges, once again, a champion — but more importantly to me — a man of integrity and a good father. It would be great to see a montage of LeBron’s career set against a reading of Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem, “If…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWvcwVWCcnY

[Editor’s Note: Wasn’t able to create said montage, but here’s what it might sound like…]

Joey B: I thought about this for a long while. There is the city and all Clevelanders to be happy for, long suffering fans they are. There is Blatt, the guys on the team, Griffin, and even Gilbert, who all put in the work, faced the media glare so well, and kept the faith. There is LBJ, of course, for completing his mission and finally making his amends. And me, duh. I’d like it. But I was listening on the radio to an interview with Larry Nance Jr. (who is entering the NBA draft) and it suddenly hit me who I’d be happiest for if the Cavs win it all: LeBron, Jr.

This kid will have it easy in some ways, but incredibly difficult in others. I mean, he’s from here — this is his home. We’ve been watching him grow up since he was born. Remember that time his little ball rolled onto the court? He goes to school here. His family is here. And he shares a name with one of the most divisive guys ever in NE Ohio. And if he decides to play basketball? He looks to be a good player in his own right, but he will always be compared to his dad. The feelings people have about his father will always be in their minds when they hear his name. If the Cavs win the title and break the longest sports city drought in the country, there will be some weight, I think, lifted from his little shoulders. Maybe he won’t even know it. But if LBJ fails to win a title here… Man, I just wouldn’t want to have that name and call Akron my home. So win it for little LBJ, Jr. fellas!

Phil Hubbard: The fans, because of what they’ve been through and what it would mean to families and the city and the Cleveland diaspora around the country. I mean, how much does one city have to take before it gets a single, solitary moment in the sun? Nothing comes easy in Cleveland, but 51 years? By year 20 or 25, it starts to feel like punishment. At five decades, it seems biblical. As Cleveland fans, we have mostly what-might-have-been stories. Even my Phil Hubbard handle comes from that. Phil was an Ohio guy, from Canton McKinley, headed for stardom. He helped Michigan reach the national championship game as a freshman and won a gold medal that summer at the Olympics. Then he hurt his knee and was never the same player. But he reinvented himself as a below-the-rim grinder and played for a decade in the NBA, mainly with Cleveland. He was a bridge from the Stepien era to the Wilkens era – a survivor. He retired after The Shot.

NOMAD: WOW —-MYSELF / ALL THE CTB’S / GILBERT / JOE TAIT/ LEBRON —IN REALITY WE ARE ALL DESERVING SO I GUESS MY ANSWER IS ANY FAN / PLAYER / OWNER WHO HAS BEEN SUFFERING THROUGH THIS “PURGATORY / HELL”— I WILL BE HAPPY FOR

3. How would you celebrate a Cavs championship?

Joey B: I’ve fantasized plenty over the years about how I would celebrate if the Browns, Indians, or Cavs, ever win it all. If it really happens I’ll probably be in shock. My guess is I’ll be at a bar high-fiving a bunch of folks. I’ll be a little silly, maybe even a shade drunk. Hell, I might even cry, or fall on the floor like LBJ at the end of the Hawks OT game, just completely spent of 40 years of rooting futility. But hey, I’ve got a full time job, two little kids, two dogs, a cat, and one wife. I’ll be tired. I’ll come home and everyone will be asleep. I’ll get ready for bed and then I’ll probably log on to CTB, slowly read every single comment on the now record breaking comments game thread, and just sit in the dark with a dumb smile on my face. Basking in the joy of hundreds of thousands of fans and the feeling that, for once, Cleveland is the Champ.

Opening Night would be dwarfed by a Victory Parade Celebration…

cwzagger: Die. Just kidding (sorta), but I would need to be as close to ground zero as possible when it happens. That most likely means being in downtown Cleveland — I just feel like that would be THE place to be following the city’s first title in 50+ years. I went to the rage-fest that was the Cavs home opener and being in the streets outside the Q was like one big frat party for everyone who’s a Cavs fan. The vibes were awesome and everyone was in good spirits (of which large quantities had likely been consumed). I picture that party on steroids if the Cavs win the big one. Now in my dream scenario, I’ve attended the first game of the year and the last one, which means I’m at Game 4 or 6 in Cleveland to witness a home court Finals closeout. Unfortunately, that’s a very specific scenario and those Finals tickets ain’t cheap or easy to get, but if I could make that happen, I would. The nectar would taste sooo sweet.

NOMAD: I THINK THIS HAS BEEN ON EVERYONE’S MIND —REALLY BELIEVE IT WILL BE A SPONTANEOUS EMOTION BY ALL —WILL 1ST GET ON THE CTB BLOG AND SHARE A TRUE  “CYBER SPACE” EMOTION / AM SURE THE BLOG WILL BE  “LIT UP” ( SOMEONE PLEASE BE WITH COLS SO HE DOESN’T PASS OUT OR PASS ON !——MY FAMILY / FRIENDS ( ALREADY PLANNING ON EVERY GAME PARTIES AT MY HOUSE –APPOX 20 PEOPLE ) AM SURE WILL  “GO BONKERS” / ALREADY HAVE ABOUT $ 10,000.00 WORTH OF FIREWORKS ( WE ALWAYS HAVE A HUGE 4TH PARTY ) WILL PROBABLY SET THEM OFF PREMATURELY /NO DOUBT IT WILL BE AN  “ALL NIGHTER”  REMINISCENT OF MY COLLEGE DAYS AND THEN PROBABLY A ROAD TRIP “TO THE LAND” ( IF YOU ARE EVEN ABLE TO GET CLOSE TO THE CITY )

We’re all goin’ to NOMAD’S house!

Phil Hubbard: Call my brother and try to get our bearings as we stumble around like mole people emerging into sunlight. Think of my mother, who went to Game 7 against the Celtics in 1992 on a bad knee, like the Willis Reed of the upper level. Wish I was in Colorado or Washington. And maybe most of all: Wonder what to do next with my life now that Moby Dick has finally been caught.

Underdog: I’m going to bake a cake and put 51 candles on it. One for every year Cleveland has been without a championship. I’m going to make a wish and blow it out. The wish will be that everyone re-signs and we win it again next year. And I’m going to eat it, too. Then I’m going to read about everyone’s excitement on C:tB and enjoy that, too. I’m going to enjoy everybody else’s celebration.

4. Based on this season which current Cavs jersey would you be most proud to buy and wear?

Phil Hubbard: JR’s. I love the balance of soundness and swag that he has found with the Cavs. His reverse jam from Shump and the players’ reactions was a highlight of the regular season. He plugs his Instagram page from the playoff podium; on Twitter he lists his location as “In My Own Head”; he seems like the player most likely to hang with Bootsy Collins after a game. And he drops his first double-doubles of the year deep into the postseason. Tom’s “Galvanized Pipe” post (gotta get that double entendre in as much as possible) makes the empirical case. Based on how prior pickups went, we could have been forgiven for expecting JR’s shot to disappear as soon as he got here, but instead he has been reborn as a complete player. A metaphor for the team, season and city? Redemption is possible if you keep working, or something like that.

cwzagger: This past Christmas my lovely sister got me my first authentic NBA jersey, which is a gold/wine #23 (who else?). So I’m definitely proudest to wear that. However, by the end of this season I may be looking to continue reveling in a certain championship nostalgia with a new commemorative jersey. In that case, I’d get one of the blue alternate uni’s, which some people hate but are some of my favorite Cavs jerseys ever. A Kyrie jersey would be the most likely purchase, but a Delly jersey in particular could be a fun, relevant novelty to own by the end of these playoffs.

Underdog: I’m not much into buying players’ jerseys, but I bought a Kyrie Irving one last year. I just loved watching him – even when the team was losing. In his second year I referred to Kyrie as the “Barry Sanders of the NBA” because he was electric and able to do things that nobody else has been able to do. I love all the Cavs players and have a different favorite one every game. However, I will be buying a Dellavadova jersey in the near future. Early in the year I called him the “Rudy” of the NBA. Rudy was the epitome of one who gave everything that an “UNDER-talented” person could possibly give to attain his lifelong dream. Delly was all that and more. When all star Kyrie Irving was injured, the beloved and much maligned Delly was the “next man up” in the final round of the Eastern Conference Championship. If Delly (Rudy) had failed there was a good chance the Cavs would have lost the series. Instead, Delly’s play made it necessary for Charles Barkley to learn how to properly pronounce his name. Like all basketball fans, I have dreamed of being the superstar and hitting a shot with no time on the clock to win a big game. One day I realized that it would never really happen for me. On that day the dream changed and I became — “THE UNDERDOG” like Delly. In a sense — whether we want to admit it or not — all Clevelanders are Matthew Dellavadova — even Cols. I’d like to see the team give everybody a Delly jersey at a game next year.

NOMAD: COMBO JERSEY —DELLY ) BECAUSE THAT IS HOW I PLAYED AND HOW I COACH BASKETBALL/ EVEN INITATED LAST YEAR A  “DELLY GAME AWARD”  TO MY PLAYERS —–JR) HE IS MY ULTRA PERSONALITY  (I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO PARTY AND MAKE SOME BRASH COMMENTS) —-3) MOZZY —I HAVE AN APPETITE TO MATCH THE MOZ

Joey B: Kevin Love. Delly, certainly, is awesome. J.R. Smith, also, is a jersey to be worn proudly with beer gut prominently sticking out. But I really dig what KLove did this year, and it pisses me off that he doesn’t get enough recognition for it. I want him to know I appreciate him, I think of him as a crucial part of the team, and he’s got fans in Cleveland.

5. What is your favorite Cavs: The Blog memory from this season?

cwzagger: It’s hard to recall offhand any one particular moment, but how about the point at which the C:tB commentariat as a whole switched modes from tirelessly arguing the same old hot takes and moot points all season long (Big Threes, K-Love, Wiggins, Trades, Le-Iso, etc…), to #AllIn. Gotta love the argumentative discussion we get into here, but ever since the Cavs hit the playoffs running, fighting successfully through adversity of all kinds, the C:tB community has seemed to join hands in agreement: we all want desperately for the Cavs to get to the Finals and win, win, win… (However, special s/o to my funniest C:tB memory from Merkaderka, who once so poetically likened LeBron to an upset plunger.)

NOMAD: THERE ARE TIMES IN EVERYONE’S LIFE THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE/ WHAT THEY WERE DOING ETC ( JFK ASSASSINATION / 911 )—LEBRON’S HOMECOMING IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS —WIFE AND I WERE AT A CHINESE RESTAURANT WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME ACROSS THE T.V / ALL STOPPPED EATING AND STARTED TO CHEER WILDLY—WE HAD PLANS TO GO LATER THAT EVENING BUT CANCELLED —RUSHED HOME TO WATCH EVERTHING UNFOLD ON TV BUT I ALSO WAS ON CTB SHARING THE MOMENT / DAY WITH MY  “BROTHERS”—BELIEVE WE SET A RECORD THAT DAY DIDN’T WE

Joey B: There are so many. Haiku night was legendary. Also, every time one of us loses our patience with Cols is fun. Oh, and the Sixers Tank discussion/thread was epic and is just further proof how this blog blows away any other sports blog in existence. My favorite though, is probably John Krolik coming out of retirement to break down the Mozgov commercial. That whole day made me pee my pants.

Phil Hubbard: Can’t pick just one. Best post: Tom’s magnum opus on Kevin Love. That really should have gotten some play from the mothership. Honorable mention: Krolik’s inspired deconstruction of the Moz Brew Garden ad. Live thread explosion of joy, regular season: For Kyrie’s heroics against San Antonio. I think that was the season high in comments (so far), and Joey B had one of the lines of the year: “I’m quitting my job and becoming a Kyrie groupie. Sorry, kids, Daddy lost his damn mind.” Live thread explosion, playoffs: When Dellavedova went supernova to close out the Bulls (Kevin: “Nuclear Delly engaged”), which even won over Cols: “I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said about Delly. Really really impressive.”

Underdog: This is an impossible question to answer. Every article has entertaining cleverness, insights, and observations. Every day there’s something new and exciting to read. The writers here are better than professional media writers. The bloggers are more knowledgable and insightful than the professional pundits and commenters on any other blog I’ve read. The banter during game threads is a blast. The camaraderie of C:tB-ers and the respect they have for each other is something you never see on the internet. We have our own shirt! There’s no blog like it. A couple of recent threads that I enjoyed are: On Toughness by EG. The team’s mental and physical toughness this year is the difference. The team’s level of play exceeds the sum of its parts because of toughness and the closeness of the players with each other. I think back over the last 10 years and the Cavs were always soft, always letting other teams get lay ups. Not anymore. Also, On Leadership by Nate Smith — a perfect defense of David Blatt after national and social media predicted his firing after almost calling a timeout and the subsequent in-bounds play. Nate and C:tB-ers circled the wagon for the Cavs and Blatt and blew holes in every verbal assault. Most of all I enjoy all the participating commenters on C:tB. Thanks for making it interesting and fun everyone!