How the Cavs broke the NBA in 2017

The switch.

I will be the first to admit it. I lost my faith during the regular season this year. Everyone kept talking about this “switch” the Cavs will flip come playoff time. The “switch” that will allow them to dominate after an okay regular season.  The “switch” that would once again send us to the finals.

I honestly didn’t believe such a “switch” ever existed. I didn’t think after the season we had, that we would even make it out of the Eastern Conference. We have arguably the best player to ever play in the NBA on our team, and if we couldn’t dominate the regular season, we had no chance to make it to the finals again, let alone win. I even bet a pizza on it.

And ladies and gentlemen, I am here to say…

I was wrong.

I was taught at a young age that practice makes permanent. That is to say, maintaining good habits during the practice is oftentimes more important than the practice itself. If you get lazy, that stays with you. There is only an added benefit to practice, so long as it is executed properly. Watching game after game of the Cavs acting lazy and tired on the court all season long, I was understandably worried.

The 80/20 rule.

The Cavs discovered this season that they can operate under the Pareto principle and still dominate in the playoffs. Oh, what’s that? You’ve never heard of the Pareto principle? You may know it as the 80/20 rule:

Some of the most successful people I know live by this principle. In its simplest form, it states that you put 80% of your time in 20% of your work. So, the regular season of the NBA has 82 games. It’s my firm belief that the Cavs (or more likely, just LeBron) realized that it is not vital to try and win all 82 games, and in fact, it is illogical to do so. We went 57-25 last season, compared to the Warriors’ impressive 73-9, and we still came out victorious. This year we were just 51-31, still making it into the playoffs, but earning a second-seed position. LeBron sat out 8 games this year, compared to 6 games last year. By contrast, Steph Curry only sat out 3 games in each of the last two seasons.

The Cavs are 12-1 this post season. They are the first team in the Eastern Conference to reach the finals with one or fewer losses in the playoffs since the 1995-1996 Bulls (and, the Bulls finished 72-10 in their regular season that year).

LeBron figured out how to rig the system in his favor. And, if you think about it, by employing the 80/20 rule, he isn’t really rigging anything, per se. He just figured out a way to get his team to work smarter, not harder. Isn’t that the true American dream?

Will it pay off in a championship again this year? If you had asked me a month and a half ago when we barely beat the Pacers 108-109… I would have said no chance. But now, I’m not so sure.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough… Game 1 of the NBA Finals is June 1st at 9PM. See you all there.

12 things that have happened since the Browns’ last win

“That’s Cllllllllllleveland — with 12 L’s — to you.”

Welp. The Browns are 0-12. If you’ve followed them at all these last few seasons decades, this may not come as that great a shock to you. But it is actually really hard to be this bad.

Historically, the Browns have been garbage. That’s just a fact. But every season — though they may be historically losing seasons — there comes a game or two where we should not have won, against a team we should not have beat, but for some reason we pull it out by the skin of our teeth. Going winless is not the norm, even for terrible teams. This year is different. Twelve weeks into the season and it is abundantly clear that we can’t win at all, especially after being outscored 174-67 in the second half so far this season. Is it possible we will go 0-16?

Since 1944, only four teams have gone winless in the NFL for an entire season: the 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0–11–1), the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–14), the 1982 Baltimore Colts (0–8–1), and most recently, the 2008 Detroit Lions (0–16). So the Browns will be in some good company, if you could call it that.

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I’d like to take this time to take everyone back to the last time we rejoiced in a win…

The day was December 13, 2015. Our starting quarterback was none other than Mr. Johnny Football. Our opponent: the San Francisco 49ers (who, might I add, are currently an unimpressive 1-10 after week 12). Seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? Here’s 12 things that have happened in the world since the Browns’ last W…

1. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won the Oscar he always deserved.

2. This video, for some reason (unknown to me), became a thing:

3. Pokémon Go happened and I started getting random texts like this:

4. Zika.

5. Ryan Lochte told everyone he was robbed at gunpoint at the Rio Olympics, really he is just drunk and rachet. Rio was not happy.

6. Brangelina divorce, making love questionable for couples everywhere.

7. This lady couldn’t stop laughing over a Chewbacca mask:

8. Brexit.

9. Everyone’s favorite silver-back gorilla, Harambe, was taken far before his time. Reassuringly, at least one person out there writes him in for president (it was probably Biden).

10. Donald Trump becomes president after what seemed like the most painful election in modern history.

Delete your account. https://t.co/Oa92sncRQY

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016

11. Cavs win the first franchise championship — this one still brings a tear to my eye.

12. Indians actually go to the World Series and ironically blow a 3-1 lead (I ain’t mad at ya, boys).

And there you have it. A world that keeps truckin’ along, despite the Browns. Well. As they say, I guess there’s always next year… Until then… Thankfully next week is a bye-week.

This was always our year: Part II

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As long as you get blackout drunk every Sunday morning, it's good to be a Cleveland fan in 2016 🍾#windians #cleveland #madeforoctober #Repost @officialclevelandsports with @repostapp ・・・ MOOD

A post shared by miꓘ (@kimbcast) on Sep 27, 2016 at 5:47am PDT

 

Cleveland is on fire (and I say that to include the dumpster fire that is the Browns so far this season, mind you), and there is no stopping us now. The Cavs win the championship for the first time ever and now, with an impressive record of 91-65, the Indians clinch their first division title in nearly a decade?? Is this real life? Hello, October 🙂

As long as you get blackout drunk every Sunday morning before the Browns play, it’s good to be a Cleveland fan in 2016.

More locker room fun at Bottlegate.com.

This was always our year

I was up early this morning.

The streets were quieter than usual, probably due to the fact that most of the town was still sleeping off the previous nights’ celebration. Though it was quiet, there was something different in the air. Something that this city hasn’t felt in 52 years. Victory.

We all wake up this morning as champions. The entire city of Cleveland. For everyone who ever doubted us, for Believeland, for everything else we’ve gone through… we made it. We are all winners today. And damn, does that feel good.

 

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It. Happened. !!!!! #cleveland #mycity #ahhhhhhh

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Did I ever tell you guys my grandpa shot hoops with LBJ in 2002?

I finally got a chance to watch Believeland last night, which originally aired prime time Saturday on ESPN. And while I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the people they interviewed for it (I’m looking at you, Windy), I thought it was well put together. It was probably super depressing for anyone who has lived through the heartbreak that is Cleveland sports, but, in all honestly I think it was mostly a learning experience for my generation.

As a 25-year-old female who was born and raised in Cleveland, I never rooted for any other teams. I never saw any relevance in any other teams besides the Browns, the Cavs, and the Tribe. I heard stories from my dad and my grandpa about the painful history in Cleveland sports, and I knew we hadn’t seen a championship since my dad was all but five years old, but it’s hard to put that disappointment in perspective when you haven’t experienced 90% of it first hand.

It’s important to note that I only started actively following Cleveland sports when I was a freshman in college, so around 2009-2010. I worked for my school’s football team so I started paying more attention to the Browns, and learning the differences between NCAA football and the NFL. I began to familiarize myself with players, stats, coaches, and all that–partly because I was around dudes like 75% of the time and that’s all they wanted to talk about, and partly because I found it all so interesting. I like learning new things because I’m a freak, but whatever.

When I look back at my own recollection of monumental moments in Cleveland sports history, there are two major ones that I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when it happened. You probably know where I’m going with this. First time being, where I was (Myrtle Beach) and what I was doing (sitting on the couch, trying to get everyone to hush while I listened) when The Decision aired, and where I was (at my old apartment sitting on my roommate’s massive sectional) and what I was doing (eating peanut butter, responding to a twitter message about it) as soon as the SI article was tweeted and LeBron announced he was coming home. The fact that those two moments are so ingrained in my memory, made Believeland a lot more meaningful to someone like me.

In my lifetime, the Indians have been to the World Series twice (and lost), the Cavs went to the finals twice (and lost), and the Browns were the quintessential “Maybe Next Year” team (just as they have always been). Last year when the Cavs made their playoff run, I knew there was no way we would win a championship. But something feels different about this year. Up until last night I had no doubt in my mind that 2016 was our year. No doubt in my mind that we were bringing a championship home. As it stands today, we are 9-0 in the playoffs–sweeping the first two teams–and damn, do we look good out there. This team is fun to watch. They look like they are actually having fun. That’s what’s different about this year… there is no longer these vibes of frustration and disappointment all over the court. I can’t explain it. I just have a feeling.

And then all of a sudden, last night I’m plucked off of my cloud; woken up from my dream state, and reminded that this is what always happens. It gets so close that we can actually see it, touch it, taste it, feel it… And then it’s ripped away from us, in the most painful way possible. The Commissioner’s Trophy was literally in our locker room and it had to be removed. The champagne was popped in the dugout. The drive, the fumble, the move. The shot, the decision, the return. It begs the question, what will this city do if it finally happens? And more importantly, what will we do if it doesn’t?

Cleveland rocks but you gotta admit, it’s a little racist…

I think it’s finally time for me to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Chief Wahoo and the Indians.

Chief Wahoo made his first appearance in the front page of the Plain Dealer in 1932, after the Indians won a big victory. Mind you, Cleveland took on the name “Indians” in 1915, reviving a nickname of its old NL club upon the arrival of this Native American in 1897, so the name has been around longer than this logo. The Chief came to be the red-faced caricature we all know and (maybe) love after a redesign in 1951. Since its creation, hundreds of civil rights groups and similar organizations have fought for the removal of the Indians as a name and Chief Wahoo as a mascot because of the ethnic stereotyping it manifests. And while the team continues to make a conscious effort (at least in recent years) to minimize the use of this logo in favor of other non-discriminatory ones, it still remains the identity of the team.

So now what? It’s no secret that we live in an overly sensitive age. People get offended over the stupidest shit–and with technology and the media, these people can make their opinion known across oceans. I think it’s ridiculous. When did we become so involved in what other people are doing and thinking, and furthermore–when did we all decide that it was appropriate to use Facebook as a platform to share our radical views?

Those two questions were meant to be contradictory because we are fueling our own fire and we don’t even realize it. With the click of a ‘share’ button, we can make our personal racist, sexist, and other various unpopular views known to our thousands of friends and followers with ease. And while that seems great–I mean, that is what America was founded on, right?–we tend to forget that people are out there who don’t want to hear or see those kinds of views. But, instead of unfriending or unfollowing the person in question, today’s finger-fast population can’t just butt out. After all, there’s a computer to hid behind, so why don’t we all just immerse ourselves in other peoples’ business? They really are asking for it, aren’t they?

So, while we have all these opinions and opposing opinions flying around, who’s to say which opinion is better? Who are we to say that a stupid, satirical caricature of an Indian actually marginalizes an entire group of people who probably don’t even watch baseball to begin with? Who the fuck even cares? Just let people live, and let this damn team play with the same damn name and logo they’ve had for, like, the last 80+ years, right?

That’s what I thought until someone sent a picture what they thought was a ‘humorous satire’ of me in a group message the other day. The photo depicted me as a large woman and referred to me as a ‘big bitch.’ It was all in good fun, honestly, and I know this person did not mean anything by it… but it kind of hit me in the gut. Like damn, that’s what you think of when you see me? Okay. If that really bothered me, am I able even to comprehend how a Native American might feel… every single time they look at our team and our logo?

I guess you just have to put it in perspective… and if you’ve never felt marginalized or discriminated against before, you won’t really know how it feels when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes. You may say these activist groups are being too sensitive… but I’m thinking we might be the real problem here.

If Bomani Jones' 'Caucasians' shirt offends you, you're missing the point https://t.co/J3BzpmnfKi pic.twitter.com/7oP6zCtPDu

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) April 8, 2016

Believeland

Ok ESPN, let’s see if you can make our sports history seem even more depressing than it actually is. BELIEVELAND premieres as part of the Cleveland International Film Festival, March 31st at 7pm at the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square.

Misconceptions I had about the Cavs this season

I’ll admit, much like any long-time fan of Cleveland sports, I’ve had my reservations about this year’s Cavs team. We, in Cleveland, can’t get our hopes up too high when it comes to championships–even with the world’s best player on our team–since we typically end up dropping the ball in the end (literally and figuratively). However, one game into the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first playoff run since LeBron last played for us in 2010, and a 100-113 win over the Boston Celtics has renewed the fan faith here in Cleveland. A championship is so close we can actually taste it. More people than ever (including those genius freaks in Vegas) admit that Cleveland may very well win its first championship since 1964… and the first championship for the NBA franchise, ever. This team has come such a long way, that even I’m close to accepting they may be unstoppable. Since the rocky start at the beginning of the season, there were a lot of misconceptions floating around about the team and its players. I looked deeper into a few to see how first impressions changed now that we’re in the post-season.

J.R. Smith is trash

I really didn’t pay much attention to J.R. Smith when he played for the [irrelevant] Knicks until I watched a video of him untying his opponent’s shoe laces on the foul line last year. From that point on, I was convinced he was a complete scumbag — just another player that is making a joke out of a sport he gets paid a ton of money to play in. Then, in the middle of the season, the Cavs took part in a trade that sent Dion Waiters to OKC and gave us J.R. and Iman Shumpert. I wasn’t impressed… in my mind, we were getting an injured player in Shump, and swapping the piss-poor attitude of Dion for another player with the same story. What exactly were we thinking on this? Everyone I complained to told me to calm down, that we only got J.R. because he was a package deal with Shump. Once Shump’s injury was all healed I’d see why this trade benefited us. But before Shump could even play any material amount of minutes in the game, J.R. Smith proved me wrong. It was beyond evident that he was, and continues to be, an asset to this team, crushing threes like it’s his job (well, it kind of is). He’s admitted multiple times since coming to Cleveland that he’s been taking the game more seriously (he says it’s because there’s nothing to do in Cleveland after 9pm, but whatever). And then there was this well-written and all out impressive essay J.R. wrote for The Cauldron, commenting on his mid-season trade, defending his reputation, and applauding his teammates. I have since changed the way I view J.R. on and off the court, and he’s easily become one of my favorite players on this team.

Kevin Love is the truth

I mean. There are no stats to prove that this statement is false. And if you looked at Kevin Love’s stats, you’d think he was a totally consistent player, posting double-doubles out the ass and putting up some pretty solid numbers game-to-game. It is for this reason that my dad calls him Casper the Friendly Ghost. Because you watch him out there on the court, and it looks like he isn’t doing much of anything. He’s slow, his presence isn’t really felt out there, he just isn’t that impressive. That is, until you realize he’s put up 19 points (despite having hardly scored in the entire first half) and got 12 rebounds right under your judgmental nose. So, I’m torn. A part of me is like YEAH K Love… one of the big three BABY, and I see him on the court and I think… is he really though? J.R.’s piece actually comments on this point, saying, “More important than what you notice about Love’s game, though, is what you don’t. He does all of the little things a team needs to win.” And though this is a different role for him than I think most people assumed he would take when he agreed to come to Cleveland, for now it’s working. He can keep being Casper. Beautiful, tall, scruffy Casper.

The team will crumble if LBJ isn’t in the game

This was only a misconception because I assumed the team would only crumble if LeBron didn’t play. I assumed any other player on the team sitting out wouldn’t have much affect on the game on way or the other. LeBron is that charismatic leader that pushes the team to perform at its highest level, that isn’t something I’m trying to dispute. But, what I began to realize after watching throughout the season, is the team looks a whole lot worse when Kyrie sits out. I checked out the stats too… out of the 13 games LeBron missed in regular season, the Cavs won three of those games (23%), which is pretty piss poor to begin with. HOWEVER, in games that Kyrie didn’t play? We only won one game out of seven he missed (14%). If you take into account the three games both players sat out (1/5, 2/27 and 4/12 which were all losses), then the winning percentage is still 30% of the games LeBron sat out and only 25% for Kyrie. It may be LeBron’s team, but I’d argue that Kyrie’s presence on the court is vital.

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I’ll leave you with a quote from J.R.’s essay, because this is the mindset we all need to stay in as we keep moving forward in the playoffs. One game down, 15 to go…

As for what comes next in Cleveland, I will make it real simple for you: If we continue to play the way we have been playing, I don’t think anyone can beat us.

Johnny Rehab…?

Just mere days after J.R. Smith told NBA.com that he’s playing better basketball in Cleveland because there’s absolutely nothing for him to do out here, Mary Kay Cabot breaks the news that Johnny Manziel entered into a treatment facility to “get the help he needs.” The exact nature of his treatment has not been specified.

My first thought when I heard the news? This has got to be one massive PR stunt for Manziel; backlash for the ESPN tell-all by Fowler and McManamon—published only four days prior to his check-in to rehab—citing the difficulties Johnny Football faced on and off the field this season.

Let’s, for a moment, think back to the most embarrassing thing that happened to you as a 21-year-old on a drunken night. What’s that? You can’t remember all the humiliating shit you’ve done when you were wasted? You’ve mentally blocked your most horrifying moments out of your head? Oh. Okay. Now, imagine those moments you tried so hard to forget are forever immortalized, scrutinized and criticized by the media. Yep, there’s you, blacked out and licking a freakin’ light switch, plastered all over the news, and Twitter, and Facebook the next day for your parents and your boss to see. Not so much fun when you think about it that way, eh? Granted, Manziel should have some form of awareness that he is a public figure when making the decision to go out and party, but he’s also still an inexperienced kid.

With a rookie QB like Manziel, coming into a city like Cleveland, and playing for a team like the Browns, that so desperately needs some consistency… it’s a lot of pressure put on a 22-year-old. The hype surrounding ‘Johnny Cleveland’ being the answer for a struggling organization was palpable. And with that buildup, there comes a lot of responsibility to preserve your reputation.

The media obsessing over his whereabouts off the field didn’t bother me as much at first, because we never saw that lifestyle reflect on the field. That is, until he was named starter in Week 15 against the Bengals, and he clearly looked confused by the routes, he ineffectively called plays, and he couldn’t really make much of anything happen on offense. And then he was too hungover to wake up for treatment before our final game? And other players were affected by this party he supposedly threw the night before too? Now, his party lifestyle seemed anything but harmless. Clearly there are deeper issues going on here that even people within the organization may not even know.

…And proceed to feel like a dick for thinking this was all a publicity stunt.

In all honesty, if Johnny really needs the help, it’s huge that he made the decision to get it. This represents one of the first times since he was drafted that he let his actions speak louder than his words. I have nothing but support and respect for that, and I think it’s safe to say we are all rooting for him to get the help he needs and to work on bettering himself as a person.

As for next season… if he is healthy, I say let Johnny start. Every game. Let’s see if he’s really taking the steps to take his job seriously, and let’s see if he is made for the NFL. Worst case scenario? The Browns go 0-16, and we can draft the next flavor-of-the-week QB next year. Best case scenario? Well, let us all be reminded that in 1996, Brett Farve’s 46-day stint in rehab (for an addiction to Vicodin) allowed him to lead the ’96 Packers to their best season in 30 years, a Super Bowl and an MVP for Farve. I mean. Anything can happen.

Deflate-Gate: Predictions

If you follow football at all, you’ve heard all about #DeflateGate… or the recent discovery that 11 out of the 12 balls used by the Patriots in the AFC Championship game were slightly deflated to a level not allowed by NFL regulations. The Colts were already suspicious of the Pats tampering with the PSI of the game balls when they met November 16th in the regular season… and even went as far as to stow away the balls they intercepted that day to gather proof. So going into this game, it was a concern for the team and the NFL. An under-inflated ball gives the quarterback an advantage because it can make it easier to grip – especially in inclement weather.

So why, then, were the 12 balls on the Pats side all ‘properly inspected’ and approved by a referee more than two hours before the game? When did these approved balls lose 2 PSI?

I don’t believe that’s the question we should be asking right now. We should be asking – why does each team get to bring their own balls to the games? If they must be inspected to ensure balls are uniform on each side, why can’t the NFL or the referees provide the balls instead of the teams? Going forward, this policy definitely needs to change.

The balls being deflated may not have made a difference in the Patriots’ 45-7 victory over the Colts last week, but it raises definite concerns about the integrity of the game. It’s sketchy as hell to think such deception can so easily be performed in a sport America reveres so enthusiastically.

As the NFL “investigates” (a term I use very loosely for reasons that I will mention soon), everyone is wondering what the punishment would be if it’s proved that someone on the Pats tampered with these balls. According to NFL regulations, “If a person is found breaking league rules and tampering with the footballs, that person could face up to a $25,000 fine and potentially more discipline.” If found guilty, will the Pats find a scapegoat individual (ball boy, water boy, sideline chick, etc.) to eat this fine? Should the team face disciplinary action as well? Should they forfeit the championship? Not play in the Super Bowl? Suspend Belichick in coaching the Super Bowl if they can prove he knew about it (before next Sunday, of course)? Fine the team? Take away future draft picks?

It really doesn’t matter, because I don’t think the investigation will find any damning evidence. For years the NFL has done a ton of questionable shit for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the sport – much of it we probably don’t even know about. The bottom line is the NFL is a business designed to generate profit. Even if the evidence is out there and is found, the public will likely never know because the NFL does not want us to lose faith in the legitimacy of the sport. Especially in the wake of off-the-field player controversies  in the last year (Ray Rice, Josh Gordon, Adrian Peterson…), the NFL can’t afford to add an on-field cheating controversy to its resume. It has to investigate because the Colts were already suspicious, but it would never compromise the way the fans view the game by actually finding anything.

And all the while Belichick, Brady, and the Pats will deny, deny, deny (as they have), no proof beyond-a-reasonable-doubt will be found saying otherwise, and they will lose the Super Bowl as the poetic justice for the entire situation. The NFL will refine the ball rule, or at least be more stringent in the process of approving the balls. And all will be well through the rose-colored glasses of the oblivious football fan.