6pm, night before game morning for me. Sitting here re-living the season with videos and footage taken from the day LeBron announced his return all the way to NBA Finals hype videos made in the last 24 hours.
As I sit, I ponder the different types of video material I've collected throughout the season. All the game recaps and extended highlights from all 82 games + Playoffs in the hope that one day when season 2014/2015 was all said and done, I would have myself a collection of extensive in-game and behind the scenes video content that could tell a chronological story about how a very unlikely sports team flourished into (potentially) an NBA champion.
I started watching game recaps, hyping myself up to Kyrie dribbles, JR swishes and LeBron dunks. Then I realized something.. Something LeBron said at the very beginning: "My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball."
Suddenly, it dawned on me that I didn't need to watch highlight packages and show reels to remember what this thing was all about. I shut my door, dimmed the lights and watched these two videos in order:
Yes, this thing is bigger than LeBron James. But these videos just speak more volume to what a championship means to the city of Cleveland than any 'hype video' ever could. This isn't just about basketball - this is about bringing something to a city and a select group of die-hard sports fans who have endured the most shallow side of cruelty that professional sports has to offer.
So I plead you all - if you're looking for anything to get you 'hyped' up before Game 1, sit down in a quiet room, turn your audio up loud and close your eyes. Then play these two videos and remember what this thing is all about.
I'll see you all for tip-off!
Hard work. Together.