Imagining what Jeff Van Gundy will say about Cavs in big moment in future

“A wise man once told me don’t argue with fools. Because from a distance, they can’t tell who is who.”

Yes, this is a Cleveland Cavaliers website, and we are all Cavs fans, but sometimes you just have to sit back and take in the moment.

With just under seven minutes to play in Game 2 of this year’s NBA Finals, ESPN color commentator Jeff Van Gundy seamlessly dropped one of the greatest lines in recent media history, in my opinion at least. With the Suns up 101-90, the broadcast cut to a replay of Devin Booker hitting a wide-open three-point shot.

Van Gundy referenced how Booker’s dad, Melvin, used to quote the line below regarding Jay-Z; here was more on the context.

"“Two go to Chris Paul leaving Booker wide open. Like his dad, Melvin, used to quote the great Jay-Z, go further, go farther, if not why bother.”"

In the video below, Van Gundy can be heard saying the quote around the 0:15 mark. Fellow ESPN Play-by-play man Mike Breen was shocked at the quote, but gave his approval with his “woah” comment. Unsurprisingly, fellow ESPN color commentator/play-by-play man Mark Jackson was also shocked, as he can be heard telling Van Gundy, “my man, my man.” Even if you don’t like either of the teams in this year’s NBA Finals, you have to respect the quote from Van Gundy there.

What would be the best quote for a Cleveland Cavaliers player in the same position?

Obviously, we have to ask the question, what would Van Gundy have said, say, had Darius Garland, who had a bounce-back season in Year 2, just made that shot.

Personally I’ve got a great one lined up. I can picture it now. The year is 2025, and the Cavs are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time since 2019, or perhaps advancing to a later round in the playoffs.

With five seconds remaining, Garland hits a step-back jumper to win the game. Jeff Van Gundy, who is now 66, let’s out a, “Cleveland is that, Cleveland is the, Cleveland is the reason he’s (Garland) cool.”

Meanwhile, Jackson and Breen are in stunned silence. Finally after an awkward five-second pause, Van Gundy turns over to both Breen and Jackson and says, “I was just quoting my guy Kid Cudi. He’s from Cleveland. I think.”

Oh, and by the way the game the Cavaliers were winning was the play-in to the play-in game. So no guarantee the Cavs are playoff bound in 2025, but we can hope!

No, but in all honesty, that is a must watch clip.

I can honestly say right now that I’m still a bit shocked that Van Gundy quoted Jay-Z. Not only did he quote him, but he quoted him correctly. With all the seriousness going on between the Cavs draft prep, and their other off-season duties, I figured everyone deserved a nice little chuckle on a Friday morning.

Oh, and I think we can all agree that hopefully Van Gundy doesn’t have any MGK lyrics up his sleeve. Have a great weekend everyone!