I Wish The Cleveland Cavaliers Were More Fun To Watch

When asked, "why do you play so hard?" Joe DiMaggio gave this now famous quote, "Because there is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best." I wish the Cleveland Cavaliers shared that same mantra. Because with the team entering the NBA Playoffs, I can't remember the last time they gave me real joy.

The joy of having LeBron come home lasted about one game. They dropped the season opener — the one that had celebrities out the wazoo in attendance and had insane ticket prices - to the lowly New York Knicks. And the drama train left the station. The team looked disjointed. LeBron looked to be on the decline. He takes a sabbatical in January. The weekly rumors about Kevin Love start up just months after arriving in Cleveland.

Of course, we know what happens next. They tune out the noise, trade for J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, and get it together. They ride into the playoffs and almost win a title despite a slew of injuries. 

Despite the disappointing end to last year, Cavs fans entered this season with huge expectations. This was supposed to be our year. The emotion and accompanying pressure of coming home was gone for LeBron. The team got healthy. There was no need to build chemistry as everyone was coming back. Mo Williams was coming back!

But this year was more of the same. The Kevin Love rumors continued all the way up to the trade deadline. David Blatt got fired. LeBron's social media posts got over analyzed for the second-consecutive year. Rumors of Kyrie Irving being unhappy start to percolate.  Tyron Lue had to tell LeBron to be more positive. All of this while coasting into first place of the Eastern Conference. 

I have found very few times this season where I had fun watching the Cavs play. The two games against the Warriors were awful and probably took a year off of my life.  

Watching the Cavaliers play pre-Decision used to be the highlight of my week. We had the best player in the world on a really good team. The NBA world tuned in to watch our team. Remember when LeBron dancing on the sidelines was a thing?

I understand, LeBron has grown up since then. He's learned a lot of valuable lessons. Like the regular season doesn't really matter as long as you're right for the playoffs. But why can't we have fun while coasting?

I'm not asking the Cavs to start showboating, but I wish they didn't approach every game this season like they had just binge watched all of the Leftovers. It's not like these guys are statues off the court. Think about Kyrie's Uncle Drew commercials. Now tell me the last time you saw Kyrie smile on the court. Kevin Love has no problem acting like a man-baby for State Farm, but we get none of that on the court.   

I watch games in this new LeBron era, and I feel the weight of the world in every possession. Every time the opposition makes a run, I get nervous. Runs happen in basketball in every game. It's natural. I know this, yet I still feel the need to smoke a cigarette every time it happens to Cleveland. Normal pains of playing a physical game become season-ending injuries. Remember when Love hurt his shoulder in February? How many of us had a heart attack? He didn't miss a single game. 

Of course part of this sense of urgency falls on LeBron. The Decision caused a number of changes throughout the league but it left a large sense of insecurity among Cavs fans. It could always happen again. And with LeBron's year-to-year contract situation, anything short of a title will create anxiety for all Cleveland fans and the rumor-machine will kick into high gear. If we win a title, he won't leave.  

The rest of the blame lies in the fact that there are two teams far superior to the Cavs right now in the Spurs and Warriors. Both teams have beaten LeBron's team in the past two NBA Finals. Both are finishing historically amazing regular seasons. I can't help but watch either team play and be jealous. I wish my team played the fluid, three-point happy basketball of the Warriors or the smart, pretty game of the Spurs. 

And both teams look like they have had fun this season (well, more so the Warriors than the grumpy Spurs). I hate that I have to hate both teams because they pose serious threats to my team. I wish I could enjoy watching them. I want to cheer for a team like that.  

This will mean nothing if the Cavs win the NBA Championship this summer. Winning the title will instantly make this the greatest Cleveland sports season in more than 50 years. I'm still going to watch every playoff game and cheer rabidly. But what if they lose early in the playoffs? What memories will we take away from this year? Will all of the angst and drama have been worth it? For me, the answer is no.