The Cleveland Cavaliers could very well be turning a significant corner in the future of their franchise. I’ve wondered when this time would come since former Cavalier LeBron James left this team four years ago. The team has wandered aimlessly over recent years searching for a team and players that would begin a new period in time that would be remembered years from now. I’ve talked about this in previous articles I’ve written on KJG.
The Cavs started as a franchise back in the late 1970s. They had nice teams then and made it to the playoffs three seasons. Years later, LeBron James came into the storyline for the team in the early 2000s and we know what eventually happened with that. Google Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship for your answer.
While you’re doing that, google the Cavalier teams of the late 1980s and early 1990’s. There you’ll find names like Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Larry Nance, and Mark Price. That is what this new group of Cavaliers reminds me so much of. Just insert the names like Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Kevin Love, and Isaac Okoro. That group, like that former Cavs team, is creating an identity that is being recognized for its’ grassroots conception, the tenacity of the team, with the emphasis on playing team basketball where selfish play you might find on other NBA teams, isn’t an issue with this group.
It really is a beautiful thing when you can watch a team like the Cavs right now. One can literally feel how connected the team is by their actions on the court.
I love the movie Hoosiers, the 1986 basketball classic film where the character Norman Dale, the coach of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team is teaching his team how to become better. The coach in the movie preaches team concepts like passing the ball and working together as one, that no one player is more important than the other.
This current Cavalier team isn’t playing hoops back in the 1950s but now they are playing together as one unit and that is so refreshing to watch because it really is the opposite of what many NBA teams are these days, where they rely on a few players and isolation plays. The Wine and Gold are the opposite of that, and they’re building a team of stars that are unselfish and that’s exciting.
With that, let’s take a shot at a few questions that we have about this true team.