The Cavs-An Eyewitness Account of the End of the Streak

Last night we attended one of the greatest games in Cleveland pro sports history.

Nope, not an AFC championship game…

No, not a World Series match up…

We didn’t even witness the return of the Cleveland Force…

This game topped them all.

Cavaliers are also not very wise on their mascot choices

Only in Cleveland can the crowd get jazzed like we just won a championship when we stop a 26 game losing streak.  Yes, we can breathe again…the Cavs are now 1-26 over their last 27 games.

Now Cleveland is still considered by Laura and I to be the “adopted” home; however, we are quickly creeping up to that age in life where we have lived in Cleveland longer than we have lived in what we will always call home, Pittsburgh.  There are still very distinct lines drawn when it comes to football, but in basketball and baseball we always hope to see the Cavs and Indians do well.

So although I can never relate to the total pain it is to be a die-hard Cleveland sports fan, I still hate seeing the impact that the floundering franchises create in this community when we can’t celebrate a winner.  Heck, now in all 3 major sports it would just be gratifying enough to sport a competitive team.

A great atmosphere at The Q

So last night we were on the edge of our seats at The Gund (I’m still stuck in the 90’s) and the atmosphere was the best I have seen at a basketball game in a long time.  Like all NBA games, the first 3 quarters are basically mascot craziness and cheerleaders,  but around the 4^th quarter the place was really rockin’.  The last 3 minutes of regulation kept everyone on their feet and when JJ Hickson blocked a possible game winning shot in the final seconds the place just about exploded.

OT was still back and forth until the final minute but when the Cavs finally got enough space to feel they had pulled away the place cheered non-stop.  I didn’t see too many people leaving around the normal time they leave a NBA game (5 minutes early to beat the traffic) and when the final buzzer sounded there was a sea of confetti, streamers, and the blaring of “Rock and Roll—oll (Hey!)” which caused me some minor hearing loss through the morning.

Tyler laying on the charm

My children didn’t quite understand the epic-ness of what we had just seen so I tried to explain.  This loss not only stopped the streak, it also kept Cleveland off the map as the owner of the single greatest losing streak ever in the 4 major pro sports.  Instead, we now share that distinction with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the 70’s.  So if history repeats itself, the first Cavs championship will be right around the corner in about 2030.  Dan Gilbert, you can take that to the bank.

In all seriousness, it was a great atmosphere.  As we walked out I haven’t seen crowds hanging around downtown like this for a while (at least since last year), and to hear the horns honking and the people cheering was a fun atmosphere.

It almost made me forget that to end the streak we beat the L.A. Clippers.  You know, the Clippers who own the NBA’s worst record since about 19-forever.

Only in Cleveland.