ColumbusSports.com : Your place to stay informed and talk about the sports scene and sports teams in and around Columbus.

The question we Cleveland fans are all asking ourselves is:  can the Cavs win the championship this year?  It has been many years since a major sports team in Cleveland has won a championship.  I can remember back in 1948 sitting in the stands, eating a five-cent hotdog and watching the Indians win the World Series.  But wait, I was not even a beat in my moms' heart back then because it was such a long, long, time ago.  Remember when the Browns won the Super Bowl?  OOPS, they have never even made it to the Super Bowl.  The big news is that the Cavs look like they could do it this year.  Are all the planets and stars aligned?

It seems like everything is in place.  The Cavs played really well in the regular season.  They only lost two games at home and one of those losses was the last game of season when many of their starters did not even play the entire game.  Not very many teams have achieved a record like that.  Cleveland now has a superstar, something they have been lacking for years.  LeBron James is larger than life in Cleveland.  He is considered by many to be the best player in the NBA today and the twenty-four year old prodigy's game is still improving.  Some fans are already predicting that he could be the best of all time if he continues with more great seasons and championships.

 
This could be the first, but not the last, NBA championship for the great city.  If you want a great team, you need to build your team around your star player.  Cleveland's front office has made some great moves this year.   One of their best moves being Mo Williams, who has played better than the Cavs could have expected.  What a great acquisition he was; kudos to Danny Ferry.  It almost seems as if things are too good to be true.  The Cavs have only been close before, but this year may be different.

The playoffs have been unbelievable.  Not only have the Cavaliers continued to play strong at home, but their road games have been great also.  Their first round foe, the Detroit Pistons, were a little scary.  In the past, the Pistons have had the Cavs’ number in the playoffs but this year, they could not even get a win during their series.  The Cavs dominated the joke of a series, 4-0.  Many people said that Detroit was just a different team this year.  However, in round two, the Cavs played a more challenging team.  The Atlanta Hawks were thought of as a team that could give the Cavs some trouble but the Cavs "flew" right by them.  The Cavs controlled this series from start to finish, again, 4-0.  I have not even mentioned the fact that all eight games were won by double digits.  No, team in the NBA history has ever accomplished that.

The Cavs' last great teams were in the early 90's.  Do you remember their teams back then?  Let's see if these names ring a bell:  Mark Price, Craig Ehlo, Steve Kerr, Larry Nance, Hot Rod Williams, Brad Daugherty, and Ron Harper.  They were quality players; however, they ran into one huge problem, MJ. Michael Jordan was the Cavs' worst nightmare, always stopping the Cavs dead in their tracks.  The Cavs played well in those playoffs but Michael was just too much for even a very good team. The good thing now is that Jordan has retired, so we won't have to worry about him anymore. Who knows, “King James” might have given MJ a “run for his money”.

Last year, LeBron and the Cavs made it to the Finals for the very first time in franchise history. They fell a little short but this could be the year that it all changes, not just for the Cavs, but for the whole city of Cleveland.  I am sure Cavs fans, as well as all the citizens of Cleveland, were glued to their televisions last night to see who would be their next challenge. It looks like the Cavs may have to perform a little of their own “Magic” now.  This won't be the last time we see "championship" and "Cleveland" in the same article title this year or for years to come.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are Champions; they just need to prove it this time. Cleveland Rocks; just wait Cavs' fans, just wait!

Tags: cleveland cavaliers, lebron james