The Cavs, the Economy and a Season to Cherish

"What time do the Cavs play?"

It's a question you expect to hear during basketball season from a fellow sports fan here in Northeast Ohio. But when the question is being uttered over dinner by your 70-year-old grandmother, you know something special is going on. And something special is definitely going on.

Few things can capture the collective interests of an entire region of people like sports. In this case the region is Northeast Ohio, and the team is the 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Like most of the country, Ohio has been hit hard by the current recession. Ohio's unemployment rate rose to 9.4% this past February, higher than the national unemployment rate of 8.1% and up from 5.9% in February 2008. People are losing their jobs and their homes at an alarming rate, and no one is quite sure when the economy will bounce back. It's a scary time for all of us.

The Cavs tipped off the season on October 28 in Boston. It was a Tuesday night. I had just moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. I was trying to make sense of my life after losing my job at a TV station in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I jumped at the gracious opportunity my cousin had given me when she asked if I wanted to move in with her and look for a job in Charlotte. The Cavs built a 7-point lead by halftime that night, but a horrendous third quarter did them in as they lost to the defending NBA champion Celtics, 90-85. I spent the next hour talking on my cell phone to my friends Kevin and Chad. We complained that they looked like the "same ol' Cavs." Terrible third quarter. What else is new? Twenty-one turnovers. That sounds about right. Nine missed free throws (four by LeBron). They're not good enough to get past Boston, we said. It was over. We hadn't celebrated Halloween yet and we were ready to throw in the towel. These things happen when you follow Cleveland sports.

Then, things starting changing. Barack Obama became the first black man to be elected President of the United States on November 5 as the economy steadily worsened. Obama brought hope. And while the economy was sliding deeper and deeper into an abyss, the Cavs were getting closer and closer to the light. They rattled off 13 wins in 15 games in November. And this Mo Williams character was starting to make us think we may have finally found a 'Robin' to LeBron's 'Batman'. And I landed a job in Charlotte.

By my birthday on New Year's Eve the Cavs were 26-5 and still had not lost a game at home. They were the talk of the league. A team from Cleveland was being billed as the best team in the NBA. Yeah, a team from Cleveland. And their best player, and arguably the best player on the planet, was from Akron. He was Northeast Ohio's own.

The new year started and the state of the economy was still on the minds of most Americans. Economic stories led every newscast every night. And I was paying attention again because my job turned into a disaster, leaving me no choice but to leave. It was a rough time for me. It was a rough time for most Americans. I don't know how other people dealt with their situations; a lot of situations that I know were much tougher than mine. Men and women with children losing their jobs, not knowing how they would pay their mortage or put food on the table. Not a good feeling. In fact, a downright awful feeling.

But for two and a half hours a few nights a week, I bet some of the great people of Northeast Ohio (and other parts of Ohio) dealt with their harsh realities the same way I did -- watching the Cavs. Watching LeBron James. Watching a group of guys that looked like they were having fun. Watching a group of guys who played like they knew how lucky they were to be playing basketball for a living. Watching Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- better known to us as "Z." Ilgauskas has logged 22,023 minutes of game action during his 11-year NBA career, and every minute has been spent in a Cleveland uniform. Z was born Kaunas, Lithuania, but he might as well have been born in Lakewood or Cuyahoga Falls.

Lebron put on an epic performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 4. He dropped 52 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds on the Knicks in a 107-102 Cavs win, just two nights after Kobe Bryant scored 61 in the same building. Four days later, Kobe and the Lakers handed the Cavs their first loss at "The Q." Four weeks later, I was back in Ohio. The Cavs were 47-12.

I moved in with my grandparents in Mogadore (which borders Akron to the east). I knew job hunting in Ohio would not be fun, but at least now I could watch every Cavs game, instead of just the games they were featured on national TV like when I was living in Charlotte. And there's nothing like watching games with my grandparents. I'm lucky. A lot of my friends only have one or two (if any) grandparents left. All four of mine are alive and well, and my relationship with all of them is very special to me. Sometimes I wish I could stop time in that TV room at my grandparents' house. My Grandpa Whitmer still finding a way, despite the Cavs sporting the best record in the league, to complain about something they're doing wrong. My Grandma Whitmer laughing at Anderson Varejao flailing around the court collecting offensive rebounds and doing all the little things that a team needs someone to do in order to win a championship. "I just love that Varejao," she always says.

These might be tough times, but they're special times for me, too. I don't know how many more opportunites I'll get to have like this with my grandparents. I think about other people who are experiencing similar situations with their family and friends. Fathers and sons. Fathers and daughters. Mothers and sons. Mothers and daughters. Sisters and brothers. Husband and wives. Boyfriends and girlfriends. All shapes and sizes. All races and religions. All brought together a few nights a week by one common passion -- the Cavs.

The Cavs lost their last game of the regular season this past Wednesday night. It was a meaningless game for the Cavs as they had already sewn up the best record in the NBA, guaranteeing them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Knowing that, head coach Mike Brown decided not to play LeBron, Z, Mo and Joe Smith in order to rest them and keep them from getting injured before the start of the playoffs. The Cavs reserves still put on one helluva show for the 38th sellout crowd of the season at The Q, before falling to Philadelphia (and their starters), 111-110, in overtime. The Cavs finished the season with a record of 66-16. Their record at home was a staggering 39-2. Both were franchise records, and the 39-2 mark was one win shy of tying the NBA record. LeBron should, and probably will, win the league's MVP award. Quite a season.

I want the Cavs to win the NBA championship. Cleveland hasn't seen a championship since the Browns in 1964. I want the Cavs to win the championship for the city. I want them to win for Northeast Ohio. I want them to win for my grandpa. I want them to win for my dad. I want them to win for my uncles. I want them to win for my friends.

But whether the Cavs win the title this June or not, it should not take away from how special a season this has been. I see car commericals with companies telling me that if I buy from them they'll finance my car if I lose my job in the next year. I hear radio ads telling me I can buy a 3-bedroom house for ten grand because the house is in foreclosure. Times are tough. But through it all, for me, three things have remained constant and kept me sane: family, friends and the Cavs.

No one appreciates the journey anymore. It's all about the destination. Forget the means, focus on the end. You want a singing career? Don't work on your craft and sing in dingy nightclubs for years. Line up with 20,000 other people outside some arena and hope you can land on American Idol. You want to be famous? Don't worry, you don't need any discernable talent. Just tryout out for some reality TV show. If the Cavs don't win the NBA championship the season will be a total waste. It's all about the title.

Well, not for me it isn't. Not when I see what this team has meant to this region. Not when I hear middle-aged women at the grocery store talking about the game the night before. Not when I see kids in their LeBron jerseys riding their bikes down the street. Not when I see ratings for Cavs' broadcasts on Fox Sports Ohio shattering records. I enjoyed the journey. And I'll enjoy it for the next two months.

I'd go on, but I have to go tell my grandma what time the Cavs play.