Cleveland (USA): For Americans, numbers don’t lie. Especially in sports. However great a player is, Americans need statistical proof to believe the greatness.
From Babe Ruth to Jack Nicklaus to Michael Jordan, all of them had the numbers to support their prodigious talent. A sports report written to American readers would never be complete without a sprinkling of numerals all over it.
No one understands the significance of numbers better than basketball superstar LeBron James. That’s why the Cleveland Cavaliers’ small forward topped all the five categories in the NBA Finals earlier this year. He averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.6 seals. James made the NBA Finals against Golden State Warriors his own. He dragged the Cavs from 3-1 down and depths of despair for their maiden NBA crown.
James had won two NBA titles with Miami Heat in 2012 and 2014 but it wasn’t as sweet because he was always a Cleveland man at heart. Right from the time Cleveland signed him as their first pick in the 2003 draft, the pressure on James to deliver the elusive title to the long-suffering franchisee was enormous. He had to head south to realise his ambition of winning silverware but the lingering pain of the failed mission with the Cavaliers — just like the doomed first love— rankled him.
James first signed up for Cleveland with a promise to “light it up like Las Vegas”. He, however, only succeeded in leaving it in pitch darkness. When a chance to rejoin his beloved hometown club beckoned in 2014, James grabbed it. A city that never forgave the player for his “betrayal” welcomed the prodigal son with open arms because he was James, arguably the best all-round player in the history of NBA.
The King almost delivered on return but the brilliance of Stephen Curry and Co. put paid to his dreams in the 2015 Finals. However, he couldn’t be denied the next year against the same team. The title was as much a reward for James’ talent as it was for his perseverance. It was also a throwback to a romantic era in which loyalty mattered.
The messiah of Cleveland said he couldn’t sleep on the night before the decisive Game 7 against the Warriors on June 18. But the lack of rest failed to prevent him from making up about 15 feet to effect a last-ditch block on Andre Iguodala’s potential championship winning shot. Nothing typified the hunger of the player, who was born in the blighted area of Akron in Cleveland to a 16-year-old mother, more than the monster block.
A massive banner of James with his hands raised and back to the camera adorns a wall right opposite the Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers’ fortress in downtown Cleveland. It’s a small tribute the city can pay to a legend who revived its sporting fortunes, well-supported by numbers.
