Last time in this space, we said we’d have one more comparison between the NBA champion Cavaliers and the 1980 Kardiac Kids.
It is that just like that Browns team 36 years ago, these Cavs are a lot like us, the people in Northeast, in that they are tough, determined and persevering. They play with a lot of heart and guts.
Though they may get knocked down again and again and again, they don’t stay down. They get back up and keep coming at their opponents.
Long ago, fans identified with the Kardiac Kids because they thought they were seeing a representation of themselves.
And so it is with the Cavs. When LeBron James returned to the team two years ago, he talked about the fact that nothing is given in Northeast Ohio. Rather, everything is earned.
That blue-collar, workingman approach is how the Cavs played in game back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals to defeat the Golden State Warriors.
It’s how the Kardiac Kids played in coming back in game after game to win.
That resonated with fans in this region then, and it resonates with them now.
