Cleveland Cavaliers 2009 Playoffs
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a difficult history. The team started out struggling to make an impact in the NBA and struggling to win enough games during the regular season to make Cavs playoff tickets available. The team began to finally make some progress in the mid-80s. The addition of Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, John Williams, and Mark Price through the draft and players like Larry Nance and Craig Ehlo by way of trades made them a true contender for the first time in their history. The team was famous for its pick and role orchestrated by Daugherty and Price and its defense. Unfortunately for Cavalier fans the postseason schedule often took them through the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were another rising team with Michael Jordan leading the way. The Cavs best chances were spoiled until injuries cut short the careers of both Daugherty and Proce, leaving the franchise struggling.
That struggle would continue even though talented big men like Zydrunas Ilgauskasand Shawn Kemp could not bring the team out of its funk. Finally in 1993 the savior came in the form of LeBron James. Part Jordan and part Magic Johnson, the dominant 18 year old immediately made his mark on the NBA. Within a few seasons of his arrival Cavs playoff tickets again began to appear at the end fo the regular season at Quicken Loan Arena. James became the center of the team and much of the focus from the basketball world. His talents have taken a team that struggled to win 30 games and created a one-man show that even carried the team to the NBA Finals in 2007. The team lost in a sweep by the San Antonio Spurs, but his great play in the earlier rounds have made believers out of any doubters and have the people of Cleveland sure that if the franchise can keep James a victorious trip to the finals can be too far away.
Cleveland Cavaliers Background
This season the Cavs hope that the team will have adjusted to the addition of Ben Wallace after a mid-season trade brought him over last season. While playoff tickets themselves are not in doubt, how far they will go is. James is the all-around super star every team wants, but his supporting cast has been lacking for most of his career. Mo Williams excelled in an unappreciated role in Milwaukee and brings another ball handler and scorer to the starting lineup, which will take a great deal of pressure off James. Wallace and Ilgaukskas create a crowd in the middle on defense, but only Ilgauskas is a real option on offense. Sasha Pavlovic, Delonte West, and Wally Sczerbiak are the outside shooters that stand to help keep the defense honest with catch and shoot drills while on kick outs from a driving James. The Cavs have a chance to join the NBA Elite and knock off the Pistons as the Central Division princes this season.