What is it like to have the dreams of an entire city riding on your shoulders? Every sports fan in your city depends on you to bring them the glory that they have been starved of for years. The pressure and strain must be unbelievable. Then again, if you happen to have the broad shoulders of LeBron James, this task may not be out of the question.
LeBron’s numbers have steadily improved in his three seasons in the NBA. His scoring average has crept from 20.9 to 27.2 to 31.4 points a game during this time. He has also amassed career averages of 6.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
The sky is the limit for Flight No. 23 this season. Will he average a triple-double? Probably not. Will he achieve the fabled quadruple-double some game? I doubt it. But he doesn’t have to. What he needs to do is to lead the Cavaliers to an NBA Championship.
This 21-year-old phenom single-handedly carries the hopes of an entire championship-deprived city. When the news hit Cleveland that the Cavs would have the No. 1 pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, it was the best thing that happened to the city since the Browns franchise returned in 1999. LeBron is the single glimmer of athletic hope in Cleveland. The Browns don’t look like they will win anything this century. The Indians have shown promise with several young stars but most recently choked in 2006 after being favored as one of MLB’s top teams preseason. The Cavaliers have the best chance of satisfying Cleveland fans’ hunger for a title, and LeBron is the main reason for that.
LeBron is a god in Cleveland. There are not many more stunning sights than the enormous “We Are All Witnesses” poster that covers an entire side of a building downtown. His commercials, too, are second only to MJ’s. When he first came into the NBA, his commercials, including the gospel-signing, court-vision commercial, were solid. The recent “The LeBrons” commercials, currently airing, make up one of the best ad campaigns I have ever seen.
Along with LeBron’s personal improvement, the Cavs have made progress since his arrival too. They more than doubled their win total in LeBron’s rookie year from the season below. They then went from a winning record in 2004-05 to a playoff birth last year. This year the trend should continue, as the team returns with practically the same roster. It actually is better with a healthy Larry Hughes, who missed much of last season due to injury.
In Cleveland right now, it’s all about the Cavaliers. Their fans are all over LeBron like white on rice, and a banner to hang in The Q at the end of the season is the only thing that can satisfy their hunger.
