Cleveland are 2016 NBA Champions, and LeBron James has been awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Finals series.
We all know championships aren’t built overnight, but have you ever stopped to think, just how long this championship has been in the making.
In June 2014 the LeBron James ‘decided’ he was done at Miami. His four-year tenure included four Conference Championships, two NBA Championships, two Finals MVP awards and two League MVPs. He had opted out of his contract which prompted every man and his dog to voice their opinion on where he would go.
Obviously most assumed he would go to whoever offered him the most. But there were a few switched on parties who predicted his return to Cleveland when others were saying it couldn’t happen, because Cleveland couldn’t afford to have him.
I liked the idea of LeBron going home to Cleveland. He was always very public about how much he loved his time there, and how grateful he was for the opportunities they had awarded him. But those predicting LeBron would return to the Cavs were indicating that it was Cleveland’s plan all along.
In his last season with the Cavs before departing, LBJ averaged 29.7 points per game (a performance he hasn’t repeated since) which showed that Cleveland were too one-dimensional, and in order for them to have any playoff success, they’d need to build a team around him.
Only problem, how could they do that while LeBron was around, not to mention even for good teams – you need playoff experience to push for a championship.
So what do you do? People always say, ‘If you love something, set it free.’ So Cleveland let LeBron go. He went to play for a team where he could gain some championship experience, learn how to lead a team to success.
They would use some of the finances they’d freed up to build a team of championship calibre and awaited the return of the King.
Poor results and a bit of luck saw Cleveland land a host of early picks over the next few years, including three No.1 overall picks. The most successful of which was Melbourne-born guard Kyrie Irving, who they would start to build their team around.
Having already acquired Tristan Thompson, Cleveland welcomed back their favourite son, LeBron for the start of the 2014-15 season. Trade out your two other No.1 picks in Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins for someone of Kevin Love’s stature, and all of a sudden your team is starting to shape up nicely.
Add in J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, and you’ve got a very capable line-up.
In their second season together Cleveland are NBA Champions, LeBron’s experience in the finals series’ came to the floor as he led the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit – something that’s never happened before in the NBA finals – and Cleveland had achieved their goal.
But the question is, when Cleveland let go of LBJ, all of those years ago, were they hoping, or did the know that they would get him back. Was it a gamble that paid off, or where Cleveland playing the long game?
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