Cavs Fan Guide: "Believeland" author Wright Thompson Pulling for a Cavs Win

Wright Thompson photo by Joe Faraoni, ESPN

Wright Thompson, the globe-trotting senior editor of ESPN Magazine, is calling from Turkey, but his mind is drifting back to Cleveland hours before Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

“I’m literally on the edge of civilization,” says the 39-year-old Thompson, who is covering the Euro Cup soccer tournament. “And my translator is a Golden State fan.”

Thompson’s superb 2010 ESPN Magazine piece “Believeland,” written after the departure of LeBron James, is considered by many the definitive take on Cleveland’s culture of sports failures. He came up with the headline after seeing a T-shirt with the slogan during an eight-day stay that took him from Nighttown in Cleveland Heights to the Venture Inn in Garfield Heights.

“I was pleased that it [story] played well in Cleveland, otherwise people would have known it was bullshit,” says Thompson, who talks about tonight’s game and the player he once called “a 6-8 steel mill.”

ON GAME 6 // The universe has just allowed this to happen. To win two games in a row against this team [Golden State] is virtually impossible. But I’ll say they’ll win tonight.

ON LEBRON // You can’t ask more from a modern American celebrity than what LeBron James has done. He has managed to be the thing that people wanted him to be. And, other than the Decision, he has done it with grace and dignity.

ON A CAVS’ CHAMPIONSHIP // It would end all this waiting, which has become its own thing. I’m a lifelong Saints fan, and I cried when they won the Super Bowl. For a thousand different reasons it should happen, and I’m really hoping it does.

ON CLEVELAND // I feel Cleveland is a lot like New Orleans – if you’re not from there you’ll never be from there. I always thought Dennis Kucinich was a nut until I spent a couple hours with him. The guy is brilliant. We drove through his old neighborhood talking about quantum physics. I dream about Slyman's sometimes. I love that jazz club [Nighttown], and the Lithuanian Club is the coolest place in the world.

By Barry Goodrich

Cavs Fan Guide: Steele’s Sage Advice for Cavs: Stay Aggressive in Game 4

ESPN's Sage Steele interviewing NBA commissioner Adam Silver at halftime of the June 8 NBA Finals game.
Photo courtesy ESPN

As Quicken Loans Arena quaked during the Cavs’ 120-90 blowout victory over the Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, ESPN broadcasters dealt with their own opponent – the crowd noise.

“I love having our set right in the middle of the fans, and they had a reason to be loud in Game 3,” says Sage Steele, host of ESPN’s NBA Countdown show, which broadcasts from The Q with pregame and halftime segments for Game 4 on June 10. “But it is very difficult to broadcast when it’s that loud. We’ve had to experiment with different microphones. Paul Pierce, who is working with us for the Finals, said he thinks Cleveland is the toughest place to play in the NBA.”

The 43-year-old Steele, in her third year as Countdown host, is energized by the fact the Cavs breathed new life into what had been a one-sided series. “I really expected a Cleveland win, because the Cavs are so good at home,” says Steele, who talks with us about the Finals, momentum swings and her friendship with the late Art Modell.

Q: How did the Cavs manage to turn the series around?
A: The Cavs came out and were so aggressive. They were angry… and they needed to be. We (broadcasters) tend to be somewhat critical when they don’t play that way all the time. It was the 20th playoff game this year that has been decided by 25 or more points. I hope we’re done with all the blowouts in this series.

Q: Why are there so many momentum swings in the playoffs?
A: I don’t think there’s ever been a swing like that between two games in Finals history. Every single game is an adjustment. I will be shocked if one, if not both, of the Splash Brothers (Steph Curry and Klay Thompson) come back with big games tonight. LeBron and Kyrie are going to have to show up for the rest of the series. In my mind, there are zero excuses. You’ve got to bring it every game.

Q: You were friends with Art Modell and his family while covering the Baltimore Ravens. What were your impressions of him?
A: I knew Art, his wife Pat and his son David pretty well. I knew them as people. I don’t expect Clevelanders to ever fully understand his side of the story. I totally get that. All I know is that the family missed Cleveland dearly.

Q: What’s it like working with Jalen Rose and Doug Collins on NBA Countdown?
A: Having graduated from Indiana, I’ll never fully love Jalen because he went to Michigan. And I love being around Doug because he’s so smart. This is my favorite year on the show. I’m having a blast.

By Barry Goodrich

Cavs Fan Guide: Mike Golic says Cavs are down but not out

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic
Photo courtesy of Joe Faraoni, ESPN

With ESPN’s popular morning radio show Mike and Mike in town for the NBA Finals June 8 and 9, Mike Golic has been able to catch up on his sleep.

“At home (Connecticut) I get up at 4:15 a.m.,” says Golic from ESPN’s set at Fan Fest at the Gateway Plaza. “While we’re here, I get to sleep until 5 a.m.”

Golic, the Willowick native who spent nine seasons in the NFL, returns home to find the Cavs in an 0-2 hole against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. “Cavs fans don’t want to hear it, but Golden State is the better team right now,” says the 53-year-old Golic. “The Cavs players look in the mirror and they know they have to play better. They’re good enough to beat this team, and I fully expect Cleveland to win tonight.”

While a potential victory tonight could change the narrative of the series, a loss will all but bury the team’s hopes for a title. “Tomorrow morning we’re either going to be talking about how the Cavs are right back in it or we’ll be talking about Golden State as one of the greatest teams of all time,” says Golic, who talks with us about the Finals, LeBron James and his co-host.

Q: What has been the difference in the series thus far?
A: The role players. In the first two games the bench for Golden State has shot 62 percent, and the bench for Cleveland has shot 31 percent. I was a role player in the NFL, and when you’re asked to perform, you need to contribute. Against a team like Golden State, you need all of your guys to step it up.

Q: Are you surprised by how the series has played out to this point?
A: I think everybody expected a different series. I thought with [Kevin] Love and Kyrie [Irving], Cleveland had a team that could match the Warriors’ 3-point shooting. With Love and Irving out last year, a lot of people didn’t believe Golden State won a legitimate NBA title. Right now, they’re showing everybody that they did.

Q: Are the Cavs relying too much on James in this series?
A: LeBron is the best player in the league. But you need more than one superstar to win in the NBA. That’s why he was able to win a title in Miami. Fairly or unfairly, a lot is asked of him. Cleveland’s offense is too segmented right now and LeBron has shot just eight free throws in the first two games.

Q: What’s it like working alongside Mike Greenberg?
A: The show has been on 17 years but with Greenie it feels like 30 years. We’re very different. We come from different upbringings. I have to explain to him the difference between a flat-head screwdriver and a Phillips screwdriver. Some times I just shake my head in disbelief.

By Barry Goodrich

Cavs Fan Guide: ESPN’s John Anderson returns to town for SportsCenter broadcast

Photo by Phil Ellsworth, ESPN Images

As a youngster growing up in Wisconsin, one of John Anderson’s prized possessions was a Cleveland Browns football helmet. “My uncle lived in Cleveland and got one for me back when an NFL helmet was hard to come by,” says the 50-year-old ESPN SportsCenter anchor. “I would pretend I was Brian Sipe.”

Anderson joins colleagues John Buccigross and Lindsay Czarniak for live broadcasts from their East Fourth Street pop-up stage Tuesday through Thursday at 6 p.m. and immediately after games 3 and 4 as part of ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals (ESPN will also broadcast its First Take show live from the Music Box Supper Club Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to noon with 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. segments on game days). We talk with Anderson about Cleveland Cavaliers fans, social media and the rise of the network.

Q: This will be your third trip to Cleveland since the Cavs’ opening night loss to the New York Knicks in October. What’s it like to go on the road with SportsCenter?
A: One more trip here and I fear I’m going to have to pay Ohio income tax. It’s nice to have a studio with all the bells and whistles, but on Fourth Street you can’t help but feel all the energy right on top of you. The fans have always been fantastic here and now, with a chance to win a championship, they will be off the hook. As a Rust Belt guy, I know when fans are fully invested in their teams.

Q: Unlike many broadcasters, you’re not on Twitter. Why?
A: There are people who use it intelligently, but they’re a small percentage. Twitter is America’s knee-jerk reaction to everything. Everyone there is pretty sure they are the funniest people in the world, and everyone’s an expert. It helps promote our product, but it’s just not me. I don’t use it because a) I would need an editor and b) if I have a really good thought I don’t want to give it away at 8:30 if I might need it at 11.

Q: You have been at ESPN for 16 years. How has the network changed during that time?
A: It’s exploded in size, and it has exploded in its coverage. SportsCenter itself has increased its reach by going to events like the NBA Finals. And it’s become much more important programming to people. Sports are the actual reality television.

Q: What do you watch on TV?
A: If sports are on, that’s what I’m watching. I’m not watching Game of Thrones or House of Cards. If I get home at 2 a.m. and the Irish Open is on, I’m watching it.

By Barry Goodrich

ESPN's Chris Broussard seems to think LeBron is staying

Forget the Elbow. Following LeBron's Game 1 performance and the Sunday afternoon love fest during which the league's top player accepted his second-consecutive MVP award, talk has once again turned to what'll happen to LBJ when the 2009-2010 season is over.

ESPN.com writer Chris Broussard seems to be sold on the idea that LeBron will be wearing wine and gold when the 2010-2011 NBA season tips off in the fall. Aside from the fact that LeBron would leave $30 million on the table by packing his bags, Broussard says it makes no sense to stage a public ceremony focused on loyalty like the one that happened at the University of Akron's Rhodes Arena on Sunday if in a few months you are going to walk away from your team and a city that loves you.

Sure, LeBron used the obligatory "No matter what might be ahead for me, this will always be my home" line he first unveiled at the start of the season, but he also talked a lot about loyalty. And let's face it: Being loyal to Akron means being a Cleveland Cavalier.

If you weren't there, here's what happened ...

We're Winners!

Don't you feel like a winner?

Cliff Lee pitched a complete game four-hitter in his Philadelphia debut. In fact, Lee had half as many hits at the plate as he gave up.

And when my 11-year-old heard about the trade of Victor Martinez, the team's leader, he asked, "Are they just selling the team?" Silly boy, no they're just selling us out.

But the experts say the Indians were trade deadline winners.

ESPN's Jayson Stark said: "But of the teams that spent July selling off, nobody reeled in the quality haul of prospects the Indians did."
Buck Showalter agrees. (Hey Buck, how'd you like to manage this team next year if you like 'em so much?)

At least now I understand why Eric Wedge wasn't fired earlier in the year ... he's got a dugout seat to watch these "winners" for the rest of the season.

LeBron Says Cheese

The Cavs might be resting this week after sweeping the Pistons to move on to the next round of the playoffs but that doesn't mean you can't get your fill of LeBron highlights. ESPN The Magazine puts King James on its cover and names him part of its NBA All-Hunger Team. Not sure what that means? Read the story and check out some video from the photo shoot of the cover and team photo at the Cavs practice facility here. Our favorite part? The never camera shy LeBron telling everyone: "I'm hungry for a championship, I mean so hungry that my belly right now is grumbling for that gold trophy so I'll see you all in late June." We'll be there. 

Fan-tastic

We're big fans of ESPN the Magazine. And I always look of the annual Fan Issue, which is devoted to the sports nut in all of us, including the pro athlete.

This issue gives us even more to cheer about, though.

First, there's Chris Broussard's exploration of our paranoid psyche about LeBron bolting for New York in 2010. "They might as well board up the Q like a crack house if LeBron leaves," says Kenny Stevens, owner of Today's Cut & Style. "Won't nobody be going down there no more." (There's extra video and a short behind-the-scenes piece that's worth a look.)

As if to tease the NY faithful and feed our insecurities, LeBron took his run at Kobe (at right), who set the Madison Square Garden scoring record with 61 points this week, by putting up 52 points in the Cavs win.

Then, there's a great feature by Lane Strauss (a Cleveland Magazine contributor). He spent a year digging into the world of sports-video collectors, who are crazy about old game telecasts. Here's an excerpt: "My wife says I care more about my DVDs than my kids, which is a load of crap," says Rambler, a collector on the East Coast. "I might spend more time with the DVDs, but I do care more about the kids." (The story is so good, you have to be an "Insider" — pay — to read it.)

And finally, you'll have to pick up The Mag to see Clevelander Billy Delfs's photographs of Waddy, Ky., fourth graders debating the Louisville-UK rivalry. (Or you can check out this month's cover photo of Fox 8's Melissa Mack on our Sexy Singles issue.)