What does the championship mean for Cleveland and the most loyal Cavaliers fans?

What does the championship mean for Cleveland and the most loyal Cavaliers fans?

Cleveland

Sports Headline+05-06-1421:14

In the NBA finals, the Cavaliers have never led by a big score, and they have never won at home. As of a few days ago, they had not won the finals for 46 years. After so many years of failure, Cleveland fans have been patient enough.

"No matter what the record is, we all support this team. Of course, in the past few years, there have been few cheers in the arena, but fans will still be there to support them. " A local boy&; Sports director of the women's group said. "It would be great to finally win the championship and get rid of the curse of' Cleveland has no champion'. Then we will no longer be the laughing stock of failure. "

Cleveland, once a land of depression, is now full of hope. Even if the Cavaliers play in Jinzhou, 2500 miles away, there will be thousands of fans lining up in the fast loan center to attend the ball game early.

Even in the playoffs, Cavaliers fans will sit in the full-speed rental center.

In the second game of the finals, Kenny from Akron stood at the head of the team. He said, "This is the fifth game I have participated in to watch the ball queue. The energy in the museum is incredible. It feels great to watch the ball with other fans. " When he mentioned that he would not be able to enter the venue for another hour and a half, he said, "I have been waiting here for two hours." I arrived early on Thursday 1 hour, and the queue was already long, so this time we came earlier. "

This is enough to show the Cleveland spirit.

Mark johnson, chief meteorologist of local TV station WEWS, said, "Since the enterprise moved away, many things have changed, so we stayed in the team to gain hope, escape from reality and enjoy happiness. We are passionate and closely connected with them. "

"This is the spiritual level. Cleveland sports fans who have suffered long-term failures will feel that the world is abandoning us. We are waiting for the next goal to be missed, which is a bad thing that happened to Cleveland. A champion will break this cycle. It will heal our inner pain. We are all the first time to experience Cleveland's team winning the championship. "

A champion will definitely change the mentality of fans, who have experienced almost all imaginable heartbreaks. Despite this, Cleveland fans are recognized as one of the most loyal fans in the three major leagues.

"That's their enthusiasm, their enthusiasm for sports, and their enthusiasm for the players who represent the city. This is one of the most enthusiastic sports towns in China, but it has never won the championship. They have suffered more than fans in other cities in the United States, which is why, once they win the championship, their gratitude will be stronger than that of fans in other cities, just like a long drought. I hope the Cavaliers can do it this year.

The recorded time without crown reached 5 1 year. The Cavaliers haven't won a championship in nearly 45 seasons. The last championship in this city was won by Cleveland Brown Football Team at 1964, but they never won or advanced to the Super Bowl. Cleveland Indian baseball team did win some championships, but that was before 1948.

The fans are well aware of this history, as are the coaches and players in Cleveland.

"That was probably the best seven years of my life." Craig Huang Yurong, 1986-93 Cavaliers shooting guard, said.

"People in this town work very hard. They are not white-collar workers, most of them are ordinary workers and staff. The fans are persistent, full of enthusiasm, willing to chat and very supportive of the team, because sports are the outlet of their lives. They love sports, which gives them pride. They are just hard-working workers, and they are willing to support the team whether it wins or loses or draws. Suppose the game is a bar fight, and they will support you there. They support me. "

Elu is the protagonist of a big crash in this city. In Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs from 65438 to 0989, Elu defended Jordan, and now that shot called "The Shot" eliminated the Cavaliers. Strangely and incredibly, the connection established with the fans because of this game made Huang Yurong regard this as the best memory of his knighthood.

"When Jordan got the ball and hit it, it was like taking out our hearts and tearing them apart. It was as quiet as death at that moment. You may say that it was a bad memory, but it was really the best memory in my life, because the fans felt the pain of failure like me. I feel good, because when I went out, no one said,' Damn it, why don't you do this and that? The fans will just say,' Hey, you did your duty, and you will do it next year.' . It is my best memory to have such fans who support you unconditionally. "

Elu now lives in Spokane, Washington, and often participates in the Cavaliers' Summer Charity Golf Masters. He admitted that his heart must be in Cleveland. "Why is this player, who is mainly called a disgrace in Cleveland's sports history, loved by fans instead of hated?

"This is the essence of this city. They understand that their support is very important to the success of the team. " Now mike fratello, an NBA analyst at TNT and coach of Cavaliers in 1993-99 season, said. "Generations of fans have suffered from failure. Cleveland fans are special. They went through many difficult years. They are proud of their team and love them wholeheartedly. " The Cavaliers he coached entered the playoffs four times in six years.

Although the victory on Lake Erie doesn't happen often, once they win, fans will be grateful for the reward.

Since James announced his return to his hometown last summer, the atmosphere in this city has recently changed from pain and failure to hope and optimism. Now, Cleveland is only two victories away from the first championship in nearly half a century. Cleveland has been injected with new life and fans have never given up hope.

"If James and the Cavaliers can end the championship drought, as a real champion city, Cleveland people will hold their heads high, be proud of being Cleveland people and cheer like other cities. It's not that people won't be proud of this city without winning the championship, but they need it because they are too proud. Winning the championship means too much to them, and the hard wait is coming to an end. I can't imagine how lively the championship celebration will be. "

There are too many stories between James and the knight. The champion will be the last chapter of this historic season. "I believe this will be one of the best sports stories in history," Johnson said. All this is like a TV series, where the hometown hero returns and his teammates fall down because of injury. All the unknowns make the fans more supportive of James.

James, a boy from northeast Ohio, is the best time to win the championship in the team's history. He knows what a champion means to the city of Cleveland and the people of Cleveland who wear jerseys in front of him.

"The champion flag hanging on the ceiling belongs to everyone in the team, no matter who the boss is or who the coach is."

This article is excerpted from What Title Means to Cleveland by Knight columnist Greg Swartz.