Return of the King — LeBron James: Game Illustrated
October 30, 2014The new LeBron James Nike commerical will give you chills
October 30, 2014Not since Y2K sent the technology-fearing masses scrambling to their homemade bunkers to swim amongst canned goods and astronaut food has a lone year on the calendar had the potential to bring a people to their knees like what’s about to unfold.
Sadly, no Clevelander has a chance to escape it.
This very minute, ESPN graphics teams are putting the finishing touches on Jim Brown highlight reels. Network interns are spending their days sifting through dusty back-rooms searching for footage of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. And, most predictably, announcers across the nation are recommitting the phrases Red Right 88, The Drive, and The Fumble to memory.
Make no mistake: 1964 is coming, and there’s nothing you can do about it. The number 50 is just too round to ignore. The 365 days during the Lyndon Johnson Administration that coincided with Cleveland’s last championship will be looming over every nationally televised game, radio show and each column written about the Cavs over the next seven or so months.
The real pros are already getting a jumpstart on it.
You’re playing a different game than the rest of the league. You’re playing against history.
But the real problem with the national obsession over 1964 is that it’s not only whipped to death more than an Austin Carr catchphrase, it’s short-sighted to boot. Of course the Cavs are title contenders with a real shot at snuffing out the whole haven’t-won-a-title thing — that’s not news. What’s not being talked about is the big picture of what this team is on track to become.
When you have the best player since Jordan in his prime, two other young All-Stars jockeying for No. 1 status in the league at their respective positions, dedicated role players, and a bench full of ring-toting veterans. You’re playing a different game than the rest of the league. You’re playing against history.
During the Mike Brown era, Cleveland fans were asked to look the other way when Larry Hughes and Mo Williams were dressed up as leading men — it was a cubic zirconia team pawned off as a diamond.
This year’s different. There’s no counterfeiting required. Instead of Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters being shoehorned into roles they never fit (no, Thompson is not morphing into Hakeem on the low post, and Dion is an offensive spark plug, not its motor), role players can simply do what they do behind the Big Three.
And the Big Three? ESPN might have to put a 25-cent peep show booth at its headquarters showing Kevin Love pick-and-rolls to satiate the number of former coaches and analysts lusting over this team’s prospects on offense.
Doug Collins’ marriage might not survive.
Over the next few years, not only does this team have a shot to wrestle the record books from Jordan’s Bulls, Bird’s Celtics, and Magic’s Lakers, but they have a chance to do it in style. Some teams are talented, some teams are fun to watch, some teams are fundamentally sound: The Cavaliers should be all that rolled into one. David Blatt’s versatile offensive philosophy coupled with the Cavs multi-faceted roster is expected to present a pick-your-poison ultimatum for opposing defenses on every play.
With the truly great teams, there’re always multiple ways to skin a cat.
The Miami Heat’s Achilles heel, and assuredly the reason LeBron moved back north, was the team’s inability to stretch the floor with reliable scorers once Dwyane Wade suddenly became 58 years old. LeBron’s four-year hiatus in South Beach did provide more than a few glimpses of what a James-led team was capable of with a real supporting cast, though.
Cleveland is going to see that in the flesh for the first time this year.
Yet, for all the anticipated fireworks on offense, the question of whether the Cavs can actually manufacture a good enough defense will be a pertinent one after last year’s strategy to play dead and pray for the best didn’t pan out as one would hope.
However, the trade exception garnered from moving Keith Bogans last month could still yield another rim protector or wing defender over the next few months, LeBron is an All-NBA defensive talent rolling out of bed, Varejao always does more than what shows up on the stat sheet, and Shawn Marion still should have a little gas in the tank as a defensive stopper coming off the bench. It’ll be up to guys like Kyrie and Dion to parlay their athleticism into something that remotely resembles effort on D for concerns to dissipate.
If they buy in, it’ll all but guarantee a long handful of years for the rest of the league. Lord knows it’s heresy to chalk up a championship, let alone a dynasty, before a season even starts in Cleveland. As with any newly constructed team, there will be a million variables that could hamstring them along the way — injuries, contracts and coaching chief among them.
But if the chips fall into place like logic dictates, the formation of this Cavs team, in this city, at this moment, could mark the start of something life-changing.
Like seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 or something. After all, that was a hell of a year—remember?
8 Comments
It depresses me to no end that I don’t like this commercial. I was so excited for this. It’s very meh. Like the “together” phrase, though. Oh well, the cavs are awesome.
The journey starts tonight…long way to go…the season is a marathon…one day…one game at a time…lets maintain balance there will be ups and there will be downs…tonight it begins…lets do work Cleveland…on and off the court!
While I am as excited as anyone about the start of the Cavs season, saying this team has a chance to push Jordan’s Bulls or Magic’s Lakes out of the record books is a bit of a stretch.
The Celtics, maybe, as they won 3 titles in a 6-year stretch. But the Lakers went to 8 finals over a 10-year period with Magic and won 5 titles; Jordan was 6 titles in 8 years (and probably would have been 8-for-8 if he hadn’t walked away). It’s hard to see the Cavs doing anything like that, although no one would certainly complain if they did.
It’s great to be excited and it’s wonderful to have the Cavs be at the center of the NBA universe again, but it would probably also be good to keep a little perspective.
Complete side note: Karl Malone had more career win shares than Jordan LOL
Fathered more children with 13 year old girls, too
Amen. I’m excited as I’ve ever been for a season to begin, and the potential here is incredible. The POTENTIAL. Potential and a dollar can get you a triple-layer nacho at Taco Bell these days. As is forever the case with Cleveland sports, I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
Malone played 34% more minutes than Jordan. On a per-minute basis, Jordan has a huge edge.
oh I agree, I was just looking at some old stats, I was curious Shaq’s peak Win Shares. Durant’s recently had a top 25 all time W/S but that same year LBJ’s was better.