USA TODAY International Edition
NBA opener a case of haves, have- not
Cavs’ drought over; Knicks’ not
The Cleveland Cavaliers have what the New York Knicks want.
On Tuesday night, in front of the Knicks’ envious eyes, the Cavaliers will celebrate their first NBA championship. There will be the all- important ring ceremony, the unveiling of the Cavs’ championship banner, and there might even be a few tears shed considering the emotional toll of ending Cleveland’s 52- year title drought this past June.
“Like I told some of the guys already, I might cry, but we’ve still got a game to play,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “It’s going to be an emotional night, and rightfully so. We’ve done something that no other team in the NBA has done.”
Tuesday might officially mark the beginning of the 2016- 17 season, but it’s really one final occasion to revel in last season’s historic Finals as the Cavaliers clawed back from a 3- 1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors, that thing that nobody else had done. The Cleveland Indians can only hope some of that magic transcends sports as they’ll open Game 1 of the World Series less than a block from where LeBron James will receive his third championship ring.
“It’s a special day for our fans in Cleveland,” James told reporters. “They get an opportunity to just remember this day, us receiving our rings and our Indians being able to host Game 1 of the World Series, so it’s a day that will go down in history.”
For what it’s worth, at least
one of the Indians players admitted that the Cavs’ title reduces the pressure on the Tribe. Who knows what type of amorphous fortune is stewing on the shores of Lake Erie?
Beyond the fanfare of rewriting Cleveland’s sports history and the jubilation of erasing a city’s daunting drought, there’s still a meaningful game to be played under the backdrop of repeating as champions. That’s the Cavaliers’ goal come June with their core of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love conjoined for a third consecutive year.
Smaller pieces such as Mike Dunleavy, Chris Andersen and Kay Felder were added to help caulk potential trouble spots, but the Cavs, as constructed, are much the same as last season’s champions. Will that spell a Finals rubber match vs. the Warriors, the behemoth out West?
For the Knicks, Tuesday’s festivities could serve as a reminder of their own postseason drought ( 2013) and just how far they have to travel before being considered among the Eastern Conference’s elite.
There’s no doubt there was a talent injection this offseason, but new coach Jeff Hornacek will have to fuse incomers Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee with New York’s already established stars. He might even unfurl his iteration of the triangle offense — a potentially exhausting exercise for Carmelo Anthony, who is on his fifth coach with the Knicks.
There is value, Hornacek says, in opening the season against the defending champions.
“( I hope it does) a couple things,” Hornacek said recently. “Inspires or ticks you off that you’re not doing it. If guys can take something out of that, I always felt it was good to have your guys watch it.”
The Cavs have the title. They also have the luxury of pairing the game’s greatest player with one of the league’s most exciting stars in Irving.
Other than that coveted core, the Cavs have an undeniable chemistry that drove their championship run in June. It’s another quality the Knicks can only hope to develop over time.
Rose, having missed most of preseason defending himself in a civil suit, is unaccustomed to playing with Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. He’ll need to adjust his game to cater to those two, not the other way around.
Now champions, the Cavs must adjust as well. Each and every opponent is trying to knock off the King.