Written by Cris Sykes

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In our third Cavs column of the day (one more yet to come), Cris Sykes takes a look back at past failures, and looks ahead to brighter days still to come. Because in LeBron James, we finally have "that guy". Just 4 1/2 hours until tip off ... Less than five hours to go. 

At 7:00 tonight, on Friday May 19^th, Cavaliers fans hope to all officially become witnesses. 

As I sit here, pondering the possible outcomes of tonight’s game, I have a strange sense of calmness.  As a lifelong Cleveland fan, I have witnessed this game before.  Our team, trying to find a way to overcome all of this history and end a drought of epic proportions being on the cusp of doing something special.   

The Browns have fallen victim to Red Right 88, The Drive, and The Fumble.  Red Right 88 was early enough in the playoffs, that there wasn’t really as much of a sense of coming so close, yet not getting the job completed.  The Drive on the other hand, was the ultimate stomach punch.  A Mike Tyson uppercut into the midsection, leaving you feeling like you would never recover.  Then, when the recovery is almost complete, and now you are reversing the roles and about to come full circle and punch that same team in their gut, we had The Fumble.  When you combine the cumulative effect of these two games, there is not a city in history that can equal the frustration this one has been through.

The Cavs became the team that Michael Jordan used as the foundation for his legacy as the greatest basketball player on the planet.  All the big shots he hit later in his career were made possible by that one shot he made over Craig Ehlo.  There was the year the Cavs were cruising to the best record in the Eastern Conference and the #1 seed, home court throughout.  Nobody was coming into the Richfield Coliseum and taking a game from these Cavs.  They could do everything. They were unbelievable to watch, and you could enjoy and look up to the guys they had, because they played the game the right way.  Then some thug bully named Mahorn took a cheap shot at the Cavs leader, and they never recovered.  Another opportunity, washed by the wayside.

The Indians made their run in the mid 90’s.  First they ran into the Atlanta Braves, where strike zones were redeveloped just for Maddux and Glavine.  They were finished off by a David Justice solo home run off none other than Jim Poole in game 6.  Two years later they made it back and faced the Florida Marlins, who spent a wild amount of cash to purchase a World Series caliber team.  We had the lead in the decisive game.  We were in the bottom of the ninth, trying to hold onto a one run lead, when Jose Mesa made the infamous pitch and Craig Freaking Counsell lifted a sac fly to tie the game.  In extra innings, a line drive made it just over the outstretched arm of Charles Nagy and Cleveland fans went through more agony.

Now we are brought back to tonight.  We have all of those tough memories lingering in the back of everyone in Cleveland’s minds.  People are already trying to come up with the name for this series.  A name that will stand for the typical collapse all of our teams find a way to stick us with.

As I mentioned, I have an odd calmness about tonight’s game.  Most of the games that have created the persona that we carry on had one significant factor.  We never, in any of those games, had “that guy”.  Sure Bernie was fabulous, but he was no John Elway.  Mark Price was a hero to many in Cleveland, but he was not Mike, nor was he Like Mike. 

This time, it is different.  We have “that guy”. 

This time, the hero is on our team.  LeBron James does many things on the basketball floor.  For all the athletic skill he possesses, his talent is not what I am talking about.  He has the ability to not only make other people better, he has the ability to instill confidence in those other players.  He has allowed me to not worry about naming this game in the same way we have named so many in the past.  He has instilled that same confidence in me that he has in allowing Drew Gooden to make that shot in Game 5.  The confidence he allowed Damon Jones to have to hit a game winner in the series clincher against the Wizards.   For all the other attributes possessed by King James, I believe this is his greatest, and why there will be a serious party going on in The Flats tonight. 

Good Luck Cavs.  Make us all proud to be Cleveland fans!