Leave it to ESPN to mention that the last time a team lost four games entering the playoffs and still won the NBA championship was 1969-1970 when the Knicks did it. I don't have time right now to check to see how many teams have been in the playoffs since then who ended the season on four game losing streaks, nor do I have time to look at a smaller pool to see how many 60-win teams have been in the playoffs who ended the season on four game losing streaks. Maybe tonight.
Why not mention that the last time the Cavs played the Bulls in the playoffs the Bulls won (1994 Eastern Conference First Round)? Wouldn't that be even more poignant? Or that the Cavs have never beaten the Bulls in a playoff series, going 0 for 5 against the Bulls (1988 first round, 1989 first round, 1992 conference finals, 1993 conference semifinals, 1994 first round). How's that for futility?
Want more? How about the 1989 Eastern Conference first round final game. In Cleveland. Chicago has the ball. Down one with 19 seconds to go. They take the ball in under their own basket and get the ball down the floor to Jordan, who makes a ten footer from the elbow with 6 seconds left. Chicago 99 Cleveland 98. Cleveland calls a time out. Ehlo passes the ball in to Nance, who sets a screen and gives it back to Ehlo. Ehlo drives for a layup. Cleveland 100 Chicago 99 with 3 seconds left. Chicago time out. The rest is history and I won't describe the painful events that happen next. You've seen it a million times. They've made commercials out of it. It made Jordan an instant hero in Chicago and created millions of frontrunning Bulls fans. It was the virtual beginning of Jordan's superstar run. Known as "The Shot" in Cleveland and elsewhere, it made the entire city of Cleveland into Jordan-haters. To this day. Here is the whole painful episode, with its highs and very low lows:
So, let's play this out. The Cavs are by far the better team with or without LeBron. But the game must be played. The Cavs were better than the Bulls in 1989, too, even though the Bulls had Jordan. This was the breakout season for the Bulls and it was at Cleveland's expense. All those of you in the Q for the next two games...let's not forget this!
Oh, the Cleveland Cavaliers are great. They're number 1!
1 comment:
Everything has never been done until it is done.
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