Cleveland Cavaliers: Down 2-0 In The NBA Finals, The Cavs Are Playing For More Than A Ring

As the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves down 2-0 in the NBA Finals, LeBron James and company are playing for more than a ring

Healthy or not, through eight NBA Finals games – dating back to last year’s edition – it’s pretty evident that the Cleveland Cavaliers are simply not good enough to compete with the Golden State Warriors.

That’s OK, because no team in the NBA is. With that said, that’s not an excuse, either.

Considering that, as the Cavs find themselves in a 2-0 series hole on the biggest stage that the NBA can present, Cleveland is playing for more than simply a ring. More than the franchise’s first NBA Championship. More than pride.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing for their immediate future, for the right to own the rights of LeBron James.

Specifically, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

LeBron James specifically left the Miami Heat to play with these two (younger) superstars. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were running on fumes after four straight trips to the NBA Finals, and LeBron thought the best basketball decision was to return home and play with up-and-coming stars, instead of the two guys that went through the battles for four years with him.

In his defense, LeBron was both right and wrong at the same time.

LeBron finds himself in a familiar position. Alone

He was right in leaving Wade and Bosh. They were clearly spent. But he was wrong to leave Miami to join a franchise that knows nothing more than losing and two players that had spent their first few years in the NBA filling empty stats for teams that didn’t even come close to sniffing the playoffs.

Now, LeBron finds himself in a familiar position. Alone.

At least that had to be how he felt in Game 2, with Love and Irving being practically non-existent while the defending champs were clobbering the Cavs by 33 points.

Unfortunately, Love’s availability moving forward is in question after being diagnosed with a concussion. There’s no excuse for Irving, though.

For both stars, there is much at stake in the next few games against the Warriors in the NBA Finals. Not because they can come back to make this a series – I simply don’t think that’s possible, and would be shocked if this went more than five games – but because of the immediate fate of Love and Irving.

There’s no question that changes will be made if LeBron James fails to bring Cleveland a ring this season. Two years in, after falling short of the ultimate goal twice, Cleveland can’t bring the same exact team back next season.

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It can’t happen.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing for much more than a ring right now. Whether you want to believe it or not.

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