Closure. Over the last year or so, the use of the word “closure” has spent a fair share of time trending in the Cleveland community. Believe it or not, the Cleveland media and its fans have silently sought out closure with LeBron James. There were many instances when Cavs fans thought they had closure. Some thought they had it when this team won the draft lottery last May,
giving the Cavs the rights to draft Kyrie Irving. Others thought they had it after the Cavs beat the Heat in a otherwise meaningless game last season. The overwhelming majority thought they had it when the Mavericks upset the Heat in the Finals. Nope, none of those scenarios brought any semblance of closure between Cleveland and LeBron James. They couldn’t, it just wasn’t possible.
Last season, Cavs fans watched the most depressing product of NBA basketball that has ever been on display. Last season was all about dumping some salaries, making a few trades, looking forward to the Heat’s two visits to Cleveland, and waiting. No, not waiting for Kyrie Irving to get better or waiting to land the number one and four pick in the draft (as they eventually did). I am talking about waiting for Antawn Jamison and Baron Davis to die. Passing time by trying to talk yourself into the prospects of Christian Eyenga, one day, being a viable NBA starter. Reading a new story every week regarding Byron Scott’s benching of J.J. Hickson--the only player on the roster with a truly promising future--because of attitude problems. And eventually tuning the Cleveland Cavaliers out of your life altogether I mean, at one point 
the Cavs lost an NBA record 22 straight games. That 22 game losing streak also happened to occur during the months of January and February--the two coldest, shittiest, depressing, suicidal prone months in Cleveland. Is it any wonder why Cavs fans were obsessed with seeing the destruction of LeBron James all of last season? There was absolutely, positively, nothing better to do. The Cavs were unbearable to look at let alone watch for 48 minutes a night. And for that, there was no way Cavs fans were getting any type of closure last year. This year, however, is a different story.
I am happy to officially report that Cleveland just made its first, and biggest step towards this “closure” thing that they speak of. That’s because Last Tuesday nights 115-101 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats was the first Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game to occur in the last 18 months. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game in the sense that Cavs’ fans were able to watch their team without a footnote of LeBron James hanging over the arena. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game in the sense that fans were able to watch this team without having to painfully reiterate to themselves, over and over again, how bad this team is and how bad they will continue to be. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game in the sense that fans were able to watch their beloved team without the thought of --“It’s going to take them five years, if not longer, to ever contend again”-- running through the forefront of their minds’. It was the first Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game because for the first time in a lonnnnggg time, watching the Cavs was... well, what it used to be like the days before the decision happened; genuinely fun and exciting. Hopeful. Very hopeful
Beginning in last years season opener and continuing all the way up until last week, Cavs fans weren’t watching Cavs basketball. When LeBron James made his return to Cleveland in December of last year, people didn’t pack Quicken Loans Arena to support their beloved Cleveland Cavaliers. They packed the Q to support the cause. When the Cavs beat the Heat later that season, Cavs fans didn’t leave the Q with happy faces because they were happy for a Cavs 
win. They were happy because some form of “justice” was served. Or so I heard. When the Cavs upset the Celtics in last years season opener, FSOhio recorded the highest ratings in its decade-plus history of existence. It wasn’t because fans were foaming at the mouth to watch the Cavs as they embarked on a new NBA season. Cavs fans tuned in, curious to see how competitive the team would be without LeBron, hoping this team could grab an eight seed and play Miami in the first round. So yes, lately, when (and if) Cavs fans tuned into games, they weren’t watching the Cavs, they were watching something completely different. They were watching this team for all the wrong reasons. As a result, we saw the near destruction of professional basketball in Cleveland. Thankfully though, it’s on its way back.
Fans know that the Cavs need a top five pick in the lottery, so for some, it is less than ideal that this team is 4-4 and not half bad. But for others, the ones who really enjoyed following and watching the Cavs for the majority of the last decade, Wednesday’s win was a pleasant relapse that helped your sanity as a sports fan. When the NBA lockout was going on, there weren’t a lot of people in Cleveland who cared that the league was missing games The mindset in northeast Ohio was this: The NBA is garbage. If you want to watch a real basketball game, Cleveland State is playing not too far down the road at the Wolstein Center. I’d rather watch them. Yep, that’s how bad it got in Cleveland... people were trying to convince themselves and others that CSU hoops was a rewarding alternative to no NBA season. But can you blame them, it’s remarkably easy to say such things when (re-read the second paragraph of this story). But thankfully, the Cavs have proven themselves and are now worthy of your viewership, maybe even a ticket purchase. The Cavs have mad hope.
Cavs fans actually find themselves in the most convenient of situations. Heading into the season, everyone knew the winning formula in the NBA, which is to say people knew that the Cavs would benefit best from winning something like 17 games and receiving a top five pick in the draft. But it’s pretty clear that the Cavs aren’t as bad as we originally thought. They’re a very mediocre team, but they now have a striking appeal. That appeal is thanks to the two rookies, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, as well as the improved trade stocks of Jamison, Varejao, and Sessions. For a fan, it’s the perfect situation to be in. On Sunday, in getting blown out by the Blazers, the Cavs played one of the worst all around basketball game I’ve ever seen. Did anyone lose sleep over it? No. In the loss, the two best players on the court were Kyrie Irving (21 points, 4 assists) and Tristan Thompson (10 points/3 blocks/ 5 boards) and that’s all that mattered. It was a win-win scenario. This season is a win-win year.
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