In the NBA, there are a lot of cities that just can't stand Zack, and Cleveland is definitely high on that list. Even now, Zack's "The Dunk" from last season is still one of the most-watched videos on YouTube. If you don't know the full story of Cleveland's sports triumphs and failures, it's really hard to understand just how much pain Zack's "The Dunk" caused the fans there.
"It proves that Cleveland's curse of famous moments continues. They're destined to live in other people's stories as mere backdrops." This was how ESPN summarized their choice of Zack's "The Dunk" as the NBA's Best Dunk of the Year (2005).
These days, when people think of Cleveland, their minds often jump to failure or just generally tough times. But if you rewind a few decades, Cleveland sports fans actually lived in a completely different world. Back then, Cleveland fans were filled with anticipation for success. Led by Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, the Browns absolutely stomped the Baltimore Colts 27-0, winning the 1964 NFL Championship (the precursor to the Super Bowl).
Back then, nobody in Cleveland even bothered to organize a parade. It was the Browns' fourth championship in 15 years; Cleveland sports enthusiasts were simply used to success and were just looking forward to the next one.
And then... that's when the city of Cleveland's nightmare began. If the people of Cleveland back then had known they'd be repeatedly experiencing failure for decades to come, they would have regretted not holding that championship parade.
In the 1986 AFC Championship, the Browns were leading the Denver Broncos 20-13 with just six minutes left. Fans in the stadium were already celebrating, thinking their team was finally heading to their first Super Bowl. However, in the final minute of regulation, legendary quarterback John Elway found Mark Jackson for a touchdown pass, forcing the game into overtime. This is famously known in Cleveland sports history as "The Drive." In overtime, the Broncos' barefoot kicker Rich Karlis kicked a 33-yard field goal, leaving the city of Cleveland agonizingly close to the Super Bowl.
A year later, the Browns and the Denver Broncos faced off again at Rich Stadium. Ernest Byner, who had scored two touchdowns for the Browns that night, had a chance to become a Cleveland hero. But in the final moments of the game, with a clear path to the end zone and a direct touchdown opportunity, Byner unbelievably fumbled the ball. This mistake, dubbed "The Fumble" by Cleveland sports fans, cost the Browns another Super Bowl appearance. What truly stung Cleveland fans was that Byner, traded to the Washington Redskins in 1989, won a Super Bowl with the Redskins two years later. It's a classic Cleveland story, one that happens far too often. But this was just one part of Cleveland sports history, moving from one failure to the next.
In 1997, the Indians were just three outs away from winning the World Series. Staff in the stadium had already started bringing champagne into the Indians' locker room. However, relief pitcher Jose Mesa committed a disastrous, Byner-esque error, allowing Moises Alou and Charles Johnson to get hits, and then Craig Counsell's sacrifice fly tied the game for the Florida Marlins. Ultimately, the Indians suffered a heartbreaking comeback loss.
From football to baseball, you can always count on Cleveland to not drop the ball when it comes to dropping the ball.
So, what about basketball? Sorry, but Cleveland's basketball history is probably even funnier than its football and baseball stories. In 1982, The New York Times, fed up, declared then-Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien: "Mr. Ted, you are absolutely, unequivocally, the worst owner in basketball history. Case closed." This was because in 1981, Stepien, who personally traded the Cavaliers' first-round pick to the Lakers just to get some Lakers' scraps, simply had no idea how valuable that first-round pick was. Since the 1981-82 Cavaliers only managed 15 wins, in an era without lottery rules, they "conveniently" drew... no, wait, they "conveniently" helped the defending champion Lakers draw the first overall pick. Thus, the Lakers became the first defending champions in NBA history to hold the number one pick.
Later, to prevent other teams from trying to trick "Big Fool" Stepien like the Lakers did, the league was forced to introduce the famous "Ted Stepien Rule," which prohibits a team from trading its first-round draft pick in consecutive years.
In 1984, Stern, who succeeded O'Brien as the new league commissioner, earnestly sought out the Gund brothers (the then-owners of the Cavaliers' home arena, Gund Arena) to help Cleveland get rid of Stepien. It seemed the Gund brothers' takeover initially gave Cavaliers fans hope.
And then... the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s, unfortunately became the backdrop for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. In 1989, Jordan's world-famous "The Shot" eliminated the Cavaliers. In the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers were defeated by Jordan's Bulls again. In the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, it was Jordan again. This time, Jordan didn't even give Cavaliers fans a glimmer of hope, leading the Bulls to a sweep. But in Game 4 of that series, Jordan used his second "The Shot" to hit a game-winner against the Cavaliers, successfully reopening old wounds for Clevelanders. In the first round of the 1994 Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Cavaliers finally got their chance when Jordan left to play baseball, but they still couldn't get their revenge. And when Jordan returned to establish the Bulls' second dynasty, they became the backdrop for the Bulls and Jordan for a fifth time.
Spanning a decade, five playoff matchups against the Bulls, five losses. Cleveland – this city that always fails, this city that always lives in other people's stories, from "The Drive" and "The Fumble" to Jordan's "The Shot" and last season's Zack's "The Dunk"... for decades, they have never succeeded, as if this city is destined to accept one failure after another.
Therefore, when the Golden State Warriors, led by Zack, lifted the trophy again after thirty-one years, how could the Clevelanders, who could only feel envy, jealousy, hatred, and were almost in a frenzy about it, not despise Zack and his "The Dunk"?
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### November 5th: The Clash in Cleveland
Walking into the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on November 5th, Zack immediately felt the full weight of Cleveland's resentment towards him. In the stands, Cavaliers fans held up all sorts of banners.
"You don't have our respect!"
"Steve Nash is the real MVP!"
"You and your team are just nouveau riche!"
"You'll never win another championship!"
Among these "family-friendly" banners, Zack could totally feel how sour Clevelanders were. And there was that cartoon mocking him—a little white boy wearing a LeBron James #23 jersey, holding up a drawing of himself crowning LeBron. What a lemon-flavored arena, seriously!
In that moment, Zack, who always admired the gentlemanly Grant Hill, could only thoughtfully make a "0" with his left hand and a "1" with his right to remind these forgetful Cavaliers fans:
"I'm a dignified champion, what kind of champion are you guys?"
What kind of champion are you guys? In these past few decades, what championships has Cleveland ever had? At Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, facing Zack's blatant provocation, the enraged Cavaliers fans responded with boos that echoed throughout the arena. But after the boos, what then? Cavaliers fans, without a championship, could only stew in their impotent rage.
Meanwhile, on the Cavaliers' bench, O'Neal noticed the subtle change in LeBron's expression. "Aren't you going to say hello to him?" O'Neal asked, turning to LeBron. Hearing that, LeBron gave a wry smile, "Cavaliers fans wouldn't allow me to say hello to him."
Do true brothers really care about fans' opinions? O'Neal knew perfectly well that LeBron was just looking for an excuse not to say hello to Zack. Clearly, his "brotherhood" with Zack wasn't as great as people imagined. However, O'Neal didn't have the time to dwell on Zack and LeBron's "brotherhood"... because after being exiled by the Heat to Cleveland, this former top center had long lost his old joy and the smile that always used to be on his face.
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### Pre-Game Banter
During the pre-game warm-ups, before this highly anticipated showdown officially began, the two head coaches were actually chatting happily. From Mike Brown's assistant coach to successfully taking the helm of the defending champions, Mike Malone had become the "chosen one" envied by his peers in the NBA coaching circle.
"It must be tough coaching a great player like the Messiah, huh?" Mike Brown asked.
Malone, sensing that Brown was using his own experience to guess his current coaching situation with the Warriors, chuckled, "It's fine, the Messiah has always shown me great respect."
Respect? The usually honest and simple Brown didn't quite believe what Malone was saying at that moment. Because, apart from a few exceptions, which star player in the NBA doesn't give their head coach a hard time? Some are mavericks, some don't follow instructions, some demand special privileges... in short, none of the top players on NBA teams are easy to deal with. For example, some nights, when LeBron snatched the clipboard from Brown, he could only smile and listen to LeBron draw up plays.
"Compared to the Messiah, I actually find dealing with role players to be quite a headache," Malone complained to Brown after a pause.
Seeing his expression, Brown was puzzled, "What's so hard about role players? Most of them follow instructions, at most they just complain about playing time."
In that moment, Malone felt that Brown completely couldn't understand his situation and feelings. He had been with the Cavaliers; he knew that this "King's Royal Guard," meticulously selected by the Cavaliers' front office for LeBron, were generally very easygoing players. After all, how much temper could players who were willing to come to Cleveland and stay in this "city of failure" possibly have? How difficult could they be to manage?
"You've got a good roster; I feel like you guys have a real chance this year," Malone commented at the end of their casual chat.
Brown smiled at Malone's compliment, "You too."
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### Game On: Zack vs. The King's Royal Guard
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. After the player introductions, LeBron's pre-game chalk toss at the scorer's table got the crowd absolutely hyped. Because right after that, the "King's Royal Guard," led by the King himself, took the court: Big Z, Gooden, James, Pavlovic, and Mo Williams.
Even though LeBron had said in an interview a few days earlier that the Cavaliers' roster still needed strengthening, it must be stated that under various constraints, the Cavaliers' front office had done their absolute best this summer. Since purchasing the Cavaliers, owner Dan Gilbert had done everything he could to meet LeBron's demands, if not always giving in directly, then at least trying every possible way to satisfy them.
However... since Cleveland's "glorious" sports history is common knowledge, how many people in the NBA are actually willing to play for this city? For a long time, even with LeBron, the Cavaliers' front office found it incredibly difficult to land any true "big fish" in free agency. And in trades with other teams, the Cavaliers' front office had to rack their brains. Because typically, when the Cavaliers wanted to make a trade with another team, they were often met with outrageous demands. This was the ingrained thinking left by the Cavaliers' overly "shining" team history in other NBA teams. After all, you're trading with the Cavaliers; wouldn't it seem foolish not to ask for more assets?
Moreover, because some players, upon learning they were traded to the Cavaliers, would even publicly declare their unwillingness to play for the team, the Cavaliers' front office was often forced to narrow their recruiting scope. Historically, it was against this backdrop that the Cavaliers' front office put together the "Cavs 1.0" roster for LeBron. Perhaps the players of "Cavs 1.0" were not good enough in some fans' eyes, and even held back the "greatness speaks for itself" LeBron James. But Gilbert and the Cavaliers' front office absolutely did right by LeBron. Cleveland never failed their King. To keep this chosen one who might change the city's fate, they toiled tirelessly every day, racking their brains every night. Even with "Cavs 2.0," even if the city of Cleveland couldn't bring Gilbert a return equal to his lavish spending, Gilbert never hesitated to pay the luxury tax.
Tonight, countless Cleveland fans hoped their King could lead this brand new "King's Royal Guard" to defeat the scoundrel who dared to rub salt in their wounds.
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### Zack's Dominance
On the court, as Brown won the tip-off for the Warriors, the game officially began. The Cavaliers' defensive strategy tonight was quite interesting. Mike Brown was using a true diamond-shaped 1-on-4 zone defense. Big Z anchored the paint. Gooden and Pavlovic played high up, controlling both wings. Mo Williams stood alone at the top of the arc. And LeBron was the "one" in the 1-on-4, assigned to guard Zack.
Seeing this, on the Warriors' bench, Mike Malone immediately let out a disdainful smile. Before the 1-on-4 zone became widely used in the NBA, this tactic, originating from high school and amateur basketball, was always disregarded by NBA coaches. It wasn't that the tactic wasn't good; it was just that NBA coaches generally believed it was a defensive strategy only "kids" would use. Besides, since the 1-on-4 zone is essentially a type of zone defense... in Malone's eyes, how could the Cavaliers' 1-on-4 zone possibly trouble Zack, who had already faced similar 1-on-4 defensive tests last season?
On the court, after directing his teammates to position themselves in a 1-3-1 formation, Zack, standing at the free-throw line, immediately forced the Cavaliers' 1-on-4 zone to transform into a 2-3 zone. Although LeBron stuck tightly to Zack, constantly tugging at his jersey, protected by his "star whistle" in an attempt to get back at his "good brother," Zack, who successfully compressed the Cavaliers' defense into a 2-3 zone, still made LeBron feel what it meant that power is justice, and height is truth.
LeBron's half-fronting couldn't stop the long-limbed Zack from receiving the ball. Then, Zack, also protected by his "star whistle," simply used his left hand to push LeBron away. One step in front of the free-throw line, Zack forced his way into position and pulled up for a shot.
Swish!
As they transitioned back on defense, Zack looked at a frowning LeBron and chuckled, "Why is your defense so soft? Don't be like that; it's embarrassing how easy it is for me to score."
At this moment, looking at Zack's back, LeBron was utterly frustrated. This summer, he had clearly worked out hard and bulked up... but Zack could still easily push past him.
Because the [Pinnacle] System's scoring criteria were so strict, even though he had already achieved a 91 strength rating in his visible data, Zack could only understand his true strength level through Grover's assessment. Grover described it: "Because your explosiveness is so good, in that instant when you make a full-force drive, I conservatively estimate that no more than five NBA players could stop you with sheer brute force. But even if they could stop you with brute force, what's the use? Once your long legs find a gap... they won't be able to catch you, will they?"
This is what Jerry West saw as Zack's "shattering" mismatch advantage. His long legs could charm countless girls, but in fact, every time Grover trained Zack, he wished he could just hug Zack's legs and sleep. Remember, those are the long legs every basketball player dreams of.
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On the court, coming back down, because Malone had labeled this game as "insignificant" before the match, the Warriors' perimeter defense was basically non-existent. On the wings, even Ron Artest was subtly letting LeBron shoot. Seeing this, and finding no good opportunities to drive, LeBron decisively passed the ball to Mo Williams.
With the ball, Mo Williams calmly shot, pulling up from long two-point range at the top of the arc. Swish!
Immediately after, LeBron again ramped up his physical confrontation against Zack. Before this season, LeBron's weight already exceeded 260 pounds (118 kilograms). If you only looked at stats like bench press, his strength attribute would score above 88 even under the [Pinnacle] System's grading. But since entering the league, LeBron's biggest problem has been that he simply hasn't refined his defensive skills. During this period, LeBron's defensive tricks were basically just two:
The first trick was "herding." This means that to conserve energy, LeBron would often actively allow opposing offensive players to drive hard into the Cavaliers' restricted area, and then use his physical gifts and the Cavaliers' interior height to execute chase-down blocks, or force offensive failures through strong contests.
The second trick was "overpowering." This meant that when facing opponents he could physically bully, LeBron, protected by his "star whistle," would, with the referees' tacit approval, increase his intensity to demonstrate his toughness, thereby intimidating the opponent.
But whether it was herding or overpowering, LeBron was always using his historical-level physical talent to play defense. Paired with Mike Brown's defensive strategy built around him, LeBron could certainly put up excellent defensive statistics. But once he encountered opponents in a game whom he couldn't overpower with his physical talent, he would often find himself helpless. Historically, the players who put up great numbers when matched up against LeBron in the Finals are the best proof of this.
On the court, a pick-and-roll, a hand-off, and Zack, receiving the ball again near the free-throw line, created space for a dribble-drive with a powerful dribble. LeBron's lateral quickness at this time was certainly not slow, but having committed his defensive center of gravity too early, he was easily left behind by Zack. In the Cavaliers' restricted area, the "King's Royal Guard," drawn in by Zack's drive, desperately tried to block his path. But they were helpless against Zack's ensuing long-range floater.
This was a new trick Zack had diligently practiced this summer under Grover's guidance. Although Zack had used floaters to finish plays in his rookie season, to turn it into a truly unguardable skill, even with all the effort he put in this summer, Zack still had a very long way to go.
What's the difficulty of the floater? Is it the motion of lofting the ball? Of course not. The real difficulty of the floater lies in judging the distance, controlling the touch, and whether you can still smoothly loft the ball towards the basket after making physical contact, just like you do in practice.
Grover was really looking forward to Zack mastering this skill in the future. Because considering Zack's height and wingspan, when he's shooting a floater on the court... just asking, how exactly is the defense supposed to stop him?
At this moment, Big Z, Gooden, and Pavlovic, who had all rotated into the paint, could only watch Zack's high-arcing floater with their eyes.
Swish!
The next second, the ball swished through the net, and the Cavaliers players could only sigh in turn. Seeing this, Zack chuckled to LeBron, who was preparing to inbound the ball, "Has no one ever taught you how to play defense? Look, even your teammates are sighing because of your defense just now."
Cavaliers players: "..."
LeBron: "..."
On the Cavaliers' bench, O'Neal immediately felt relieved watching Zack, who wasn't even letting his "good brother" off the hook.
However... just as O'Neal was wondering whether Zack and LeBron's "brotherhood" was a superficial friendship or just for show, Zack, who happened to be passing the Cavaliers' bench, didn't forget to "kick" O'Neal either: "Oh, so the mighty top center can only back up 'Big Z' now?"
O'Neal: "..."
Without a doubt, Zack at this moment was exactly like a village bully who would even kick a passing dog on the roadside. It's just a shame that facing this arrogant village bully... not a single Cavalier dared to respond.
On the Warriors' bench, Mike Malone yawned and said, "A star player's personality often determines the team's personality. Our Messiah is undoubtedly a player with a great personality. As for LeBron? I can only hope he grows up soon."
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