“Turn out the lights … the party’s over.”
Dandy Don Meredith would sing those words to declare that the NFL's Monday Night Football games were over back in the 1970s. His country twang was echoing in my brain as I watched Golden State dismantle the Cavaliers 108-85 Friday night to complete a NBA Finals sweep. Cavaliers' fans already knew the end was inevitable. We were hoping for one last stand at home like Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals, but you could feel the fog of pending doom in Quicken Loans Arena from the opening tip. The carefree Warriors were in control the entire game, finishing the Cavs off with a big third quarter run.
The blowout loss was a quiet thud to end a bumpy, roller coaster season full of thrills and ills. The Kyrie trade. An opening day starting line-up that included the names of Wade, Rose, and Crowder. Losing six of eight games early, immediately followed by winning 18 of 19 games (including 13 straight), immediately followed by losing 10 of 13 games. Isaiah Thomas’ debut after a long absence due to a hip injury provided a brief spark, then plenty of destructive fire.
LeBron James and the team fell into a funk, hampered by old legs, a lack of chemistry, and horrendous defense. Kevin Love broke his hand in late January, and then rookie general manager Kobe Altman broke up the roster one week later. Old legs were shipped out, and young legs were brought in. Nance, Hood, Clarkson, and Hill provided periodic bursts, but injuries and inconsistency framed the story for the rest of the regular season. That inconsistency carried into the Eastern Conference playoffs, where sloppy seven-game wins over Indiana and Boston sandwiched an impressive sweep of top-seeded Toronto.
Next came the Finals. A spectacular Game 1 was ruined in the final minute by a horrendous replay overturned call by the referees, and J.R. Smith’s monumental mental blunder. In their overtime victory, the Warriors seized upon that momentum, and Cleveland fans were forced to stomach a buffet of Steph Curry’s rainbow 3-point shots (and irritating grins and actions), Kevin Durant’s brilliance, and the always nauseating Draymond Green show.
It was a season filled with frustration, and some Cleveland fans are relieved that it is finally over. Anyone with that negative, defeatist mentality should be sentenced to 10 years of rooting for the Sacramento Kings, while eating rice cakes for dinner, watching an endless loop of "Mama’s Family" episodes on TV, and getting a tattoo of former Cav Ricky Davis on their forehead.
Over the last nine months, we were spoiled to watch the greatest athlete in the world play 104 games. During the relatively meaningless regular season, King James averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. He then posted arguably the best playoff performance in NBA history. He averaged 34 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field. He hit amazing buzzer-beating, game-ending shots against Indiana and Washington. He did all of this while carrying an inexperienced, under-performing roster of role players to a conference championship.
As a fan, it stinks to get swept while losing your third NBA Finals in four years to the same team. But we have been very fortunate to ride the exciting rush of playoff basketball into June for four straight seasons now. Only four other teams have accomplished that feat: these Warriors, Red Auerbach’s Celtics, Larry Bird’s Celtics, and Magic Johnson’s Lakers.
With the season now over, and LeBron’s free agency taking center stage, there will be plenty of debate and discussion concerning the "what ifs" of the past and the future.
But in the immediate pain of the aftermath of this defeat, remember the famous words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson: “'Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.”
That is true wisdom. I wonder if Lord Tennyson ever pondered the value of trading love?
Maybe packaging Kevin Love with a first-round draft pick trade to get Kawhi Leonard?