The Cleveland Browns don’t need to win a Super Bowl and the Cincinnati Reds don’t need to win a World Series because the state of Ohio has won its championship. The Cleveland Cavaliers beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat 102-90 on Tuesday.
The Cavs (15-58) haven’t won many games this season, but to their credit, they have beat teams such as the two-time reigning NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, and they have beat the New York Knicks three times including twice with Carmelo Anthony in the game. None of those games were as sweet as the victory against the player everyone on the team and in Ohio thinks betrayed them, LeBron James.
In an interview with ESPN, Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said this victory is not only for the team but also for the fans who keep coming to Cav games, even though the team isn’t good.
“This was for the fans and for their support,” Gibson said. “They’ve stayed behind us and this was a way of saying thank you.”
I understand this is one game out of 82 regular season games and at the end of the day, the Heat are a three seed in the east and will make the playoffs while the Cavs hope LeBron loses as they watch the playoffs from their couches or a sports bar TV. But, watching the underdog get the victory and some sort of revenge against the man who bolted from their team without any notice is fantastic. I’d say it’s better than an NCAA tournament upset such as VCU or Richmond.
One of the main reasons James left was because he didn’t have anyone to play with. Well, against the Cavs, James had a triple-double of 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds but the Heat still couldn’t beat a 14-win team. What happens now, is James going to demand Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh get traded? It doesn’t work that way in Miami pal, it’s Wade’s team.
Wade helped out with 24 points and Mike Bibby added 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to weather the storm Cleveland had planned for Miami. Real quick, Bosh had another disappointing performance, 10 points and four rebounds.
The Cavaliers had five players in double-figures:
- J.J. Hickson- 21 points and 12 rebounds
- Anthony Parker- 20 points
- Ryan Hollins- 13 points
- Ramon Sessions- 11 points
- Baron Davis- 10 points
I have never given Cleveland, the Cavaliers or both as much props as I have the last few days, but they have handled the situation with their heads up and showed its still an NBA city and team. I’m already excited for the next game between the Heat and the Cavs, to bad it’s next season.
