REPEAT TOP GOAL FOR CAVALIERS
The ring ceremony and banner- raising are behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2016 NBA championship celebration is over.
Now what? Well, win another championship. That’s what ownership, front office executives, coaching staff and players want.
Just because the Cavs ended a 52- year drought when they won the franchise’s first championship and the city’s first major title since 1964, that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied with one title.
Once you get one, you want another. They reject the idea they’re playing with house money. The only house money in Cleveland is at owner Dan Gilbert’s downtown casino.
LeBron James, who had a triple- double in the Cavs’ season- opening win against the New York Knicks, compared this season to a climber who reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro a year ago and now seeks a new challenge.
“That person isn’t done climbing mountains. There are more mountains to climb,” James told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s always another mountain to climb. We want to climb another mountain. That feeling doesn’t go away.”
If any championship- caliber team has lightened expectations, it’s the Cavaliers because of what they accomplished and what it meant to a city, a region and fan base. The pressure is off. They have a free pass this season. They did what they were needed to do.
But that’s not how the franchise views this season.
“If one championship is enough for you, then you shouldn’t be here,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “We’ll get you somewhere you want to be. We want to win multiple championships here. We have the talent, and we’re only getting older, so we have to do it now.”
Lue is in his first full season as coach after taking over for David Blatt midway through last season. He wants to see a season through from beginning to end, culminating in a championship.
With an average age of 30.52, the Cav- aliers are the oldest team in the NBA, according to the league. They also have the most NBA experience.
James, who turns 32 on Dec. 30 but feels like he’s 19, isn’t content with three titles. He has made that clear. A fourth championship and perhaps another regular- season MVP award will add to his legend. That’s fuel.
“Everyone is picking up from where we left off last year and understanding what this is about,” James said. “We’re here to compete every day and give ourselves the best possible chance to be in position to compete for a championship at the end.”
Kyrie Irving is 24, and his desire to win more championships is no less than Stephen Curry’s desire for another. Same goes for Kevin Love, who is 28. Not only do they want to win for fans, they also want to win for themselves.
Of course, the Cavs will need to fight complacency at times this season. It might be difficult to feel the same way about that Jan. 27 game against the Brooklyn Nets than it is about a March 27 game against the San Antonio Spurs. But James has been in this position before, and he can combat that with his expectation that the Cavs improve each day.
The front office added Mike Dunleavy, who at 36 has never won an NBA championship and is in the best position of his career to finally win one. He’s motivated, too, and his new teammates would love to help him win one, just as James and James Jones did for the rest of the Cavs in June.
There’s also this motivational factor: The defending champs are not the favorites to win the title. The Golden State Warriors, who added Kevin Durant in the offseason after a 73- 9 regular season in 2015- 16, are favored.
It’s not often the team that won the title and returned a majority of its main players is not the favorite. They might not admit it, but that motivates the Cavs. The Warriors need to take the title from them is the thinking inside the locker room.
What would make Cleveland’s story even better after coming back a 3- 1 deficit in the Finals to beat the Warriors? Beating the team that brought in Durant in the offseason — or any other team for that matter — for their second consecutive championship.
“There’s always another mountain to climb. We want to climb another mountain. That feeling doesn’t go away.” LeBron James