The Finals are just starting, but the Cavaliers have already won

Despite everything...

Despite the "Blatt may get fired" rumblings that began early in the season and have never truly subsided, despite the sometimes clunky integration of Kevin Love, despite losing him in the first round of the playoffs, despite starting 19-20, despite getting very little out of veterans such as Mike Miller and Shawn Marion, despite LeBron needing two weeks off in January to clear his mind and get his body right, despite Kyrie's injury issues throughout the postseason, despite LeBron's outside jumper disappearing over the past month and a half (especially against Chicago, where he went 3-for-28 from downtown), despite the fact they're rolling just eight deep, despite the possibility that they could have gone down three games to one against the Bulls had a referee noticed the head coach frantically trying to call timeout, despite all the roster upheaval and turmoil and drama and injuries and close calls... despite all of it...

Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

From the disappointment of the 2010 collapse versus Boston in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, to The Decision, to four years of LeBron in Miami juxtaposed with four years of Cleveland winning fewer than a third of their games, to the elation of LeBron's return home, the past five years have been a rollercoaster. After one season following the team closely, I feel like I'm suffering from motion sickness, but this is just the way it is for veteran Cavs fans. Y'all are just used to it. The dysfunction and disappointment of the first few months were replaced by the good vibes associated with a juggernaut, and that's been replaced by the scrappy, injured squad that's somehow willed their way to basketball's highest stage.

I've got no right to tell you how to behave. You've been at this much longer than I have. But if I may offer a polite suggestion... just enjoy the moments for what they are. When you take everything into context, this season has already been a massive success. The way this team has come together and fought through adversity has been admirable. They play for one another. Guys are embracing their roles and attacking them with gusto - Delly as a scrappy backup point guard, Tristan as a defender and rebounder, J.R. Smith as a semi-reformed gunner who's sort of locked in on the defensive end (knocks on wood), LeBron as the unquestioned leader who has transformed the Cavs into a team no one wants to face.

The consensus from smart basketball people favors the Warriors, and they may be right. I happen to disagree; I've got the Cavs in 6. But even if I'm wrong, and the Cavs don't give Cleveland a parade this season, I sincerely hope you don't take any of it for granted.

Look, the team I primarily cover is the Timberwolves. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about what it'd be like if they won a playoff game. Not a title, not a series, one game. One. So while my Cavs attention is secondhand and recent, it's been enjoyable. And for the next four to seven games, I plan on enjoying myself, and I hope the Fear the Sword readers and Cavaliers fans out there are able to do the same. Forget the B.S., forget the past, forget the future, live in the moment and relish watching your favorite team play in the NBA FInals.