Cavs’ Finals Loss Previews Scary, Uncertain Future
The Cleveland Cavaliers are light years away from beating the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series.
The Warriors stunned Cavs fans with their barrage of three point shooting, youthful athleticism, and far superior talent. At various points throughout the series, every Cavs fan had the same epiphany. We were forced to face the fact that we couldn’t beat this all-time great team.
They have Kevin Durant, the second greatest player in the world. They have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, two of the best shooters of all time. They have the loudmouth, Draymond Green, who happens to be the best defensive player in the league. Even our mighty Cavs didn’t have a chance to take down this Fab Four.
The Cavs looked helpless as Curry made shots from unbelievable distances, Green talked trash, and Durant proved to be unguardable.
Going into the Finals, we thought LeBron James could carry us through anything. This is the greatest player in the world, who came back from a 3-1 deficit in last year’s finals against the Golden State Warriors.
But this time, we came up against the Kevin Durant-led Warriors. And that was too tall of a task even for The King.
As a Cavs fan, the loss in the finals doesn’t hurt as much as what this loss means for the future. After these finals, we know the Cavs can’t come close to beating Golden State with the current roster.
And the Warriors will just become better for here as the chemistry between Curry, Thompson, and Durant grows. In addition, the Fab Four have publicly made it clear that they want to stay in Golden State for the foreseeable future.
We should be worried. Our beloved team needs to make major changes to have a shot at beating these villains in the finals next season.
Thus, the Cavaliers showed interest in Indiana Pacers forward Paul George and Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler. Acquiring one of these stars would have certainly given us a shot at beating Golden State.
But, ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst said that the Cavaliers aren’t pursuing Butler or George anymore because the Pacers and Bulls don’t want Kevin Love, who is the star the Cavaliers would be willing to trade away.
This is just one of the bad signs for Cavs fans. We’ve heard rumors of LeBron wanting to play in Los Angeles after next season. Former General Manager David Griffin was fired on Tuesday, Irving said he “might be willing” to push for a trade if a Cavs implosion seems inevitable, and we weren’t able to acquire two star free agents (Butler or George).
Next season will determine the franchise’s fate for the next decade. If we are able to beat Golden State next year, then LeBron and his strong supporting cast will probably stay in Cleveland.
But if we come up short again, we will have to say goodbye to the King once again. And that is something no Cavs fan wants to go through twice.
And without Butler or George, it seems like an almost impossible task to beat the Warriors with our current roster.
If LeBron leaves, we will have to go back to watching mediocrity. We will be forced to watch jealously as LeBron wins titles with his new team — and that’s enough to induce nightmares for any Cleveland fan.
We couldn’t stand watching our hometown kid go to Miami and win two championships. While we will always be grateful for the championship he brought us, his departure would hurt all the same.
Cavs fans, don’t be surprised if LeBron leaves us after next season. Appreciate all he has given to this city. Understand that he desires to win championships.
And this current Cavs team won’t be able to win any more championships against the Warriors without acquiring star players.
