blommen
Pissing Excellence
- Joined
- May 3, 2009
- Messages
- 4,487
- Reaction score
- 4,687
- Points
- 113
Well, I've just a had a strong beer, a cigarette and a lousy plate of nachos at the local student bar, so I figured now would be as good a time as any to write down a few lines of what exactly this day feels like for little ol' me.
When I joined this forum way back in 2009 on the heels of a disappointing second round elimination to a frustratingly well shooting Orlando team, I came in with the mindset of a kid with little to no basketball knowledge aside from the fact that I knew LBJ and viewed him as the be all end all of the NBA. He was the chosen one, the best player in the world and all I cared about. To me the Cavaliers was this rag tag bunch of secondaries who were always there but I had no interest in them beyond that. I was interested in one thing and one thing only: LeBrons legacy. I was a cunt, to be honest. the 09/10 season was the first time I actually interacted with true fans of an NBA franchise, and at first it confused the hell out of me. Who were these people? How in the world could be so invested in this team? and How in the world can they criticize LeBron friggin' James??
Like I said: A cunt.
that first year of activity on the boards was more formative for me than I initially thought. I slowly grew increasingly more invested in the team and started paying attention to, and engaging in discussions of subjects that I had never even remotely cared for. free agent signings, defensive system, (the lack of) offensive plays, teammate chemistry... for some reason, despite being on the other side of the atlantic ocean, I felt closer to a team and a city than I ever had in my life. You need to understand, I was never a sports fan. I hated jocks, thought Soccer (the predominant sport in Denmark) was a snoozefest beyond comprehension, and fan culture itself seemed irrational and silly to me. My first year on RCF, while sometimes tough and a bit shocking due to the passions of some posters here, was like getting a glimpse into another world and dimension, and I slowly grew to appreciate how uncompromising the posters on here were. I felt embraced by a community for the first time in my life, like being on a journey towards something amazing and feeling the comradery and unity present. Life was good.
And then we lost. to the Celtics. again.
Before I knew it, my idol, the paragon of my entire basketball fandom, the fucking catalyst to all this madness was gone, lollygaggin' around in the south with his buddies while I was left with a bunch of no names, and a community in flames. Could I have gone with him? donned the the black and red and moved on? Sure, I won't pretend I didn't think about it. LeBron James was basketball to me, nothing else had mattered for a while. At least that's what I thought. For as much as LeBron had meant to me in my formative years as a fan, I found, after he had left, that something truly had changed. Cleveland. Where I previously saw blurry shadows and no names, I saw players, human beings who had become a far bigger part of my life, than I would have ever imagined. the rag tag bunch of miscreants had grown to a symbol of something greater than anything one single player could ever hope to overshadow. So I made my own decision. I would not take the easy way out, I would not follow suit. I stayed.
I stayed through all the bullshit, while the rats jumped ship. The forum changed and I along with it. rooting for a bad team is a weird experience. you start appreciating the smaller things in the game. the hard fought victory against an equally shitty opponent. the draft and the scouting of young talent. the sparse player upgrades throughout the year. breaking a losing streak after months of running around like a headless chicken. you savour the hope, and tressure it, because deep down you know that hope is all you have. the hope for something better. the hope for something to pass along to help you off the ground. And after a full year of some of the most putrid basketball I will propably ever have to lay my eyes upon, the help came in the shape of a young Point Guard with a handle to die for and the jumpshot to match.
Kyrie, even moreso than LeBron, was my first guy. He was the first truly awesome player that I have followed throughout his entire career and the first player I really passionately defended and he was far more precious to me as a fan than LeBron, because that was all I had. The elation of watching him play was magnificent, how he would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for us slowly but surely watching him and our other young players develop was more gratifying than any triple double LBJ ever played for us.
As amazing as the highs were, the lows were equally soul crushing and hurtful. lockerroom drama, botched draft picks, and a small forward position that seemed borderline cursed after 23 took off made the rebuilding years one of the toughest periods of my life and it still shocks me just how emotionally draining the trials and tribulations of this team can be, despite having never even set foot in Cleveland. Still, this was my team dammit, and i'd be damned if I was to leave 'em in their time of need. I owe a great deal of thanks to everyone on this forum for instilling these beliefs and values in me, you have all given me more than I would've ever thought possible, both in terms of hardship, happiness, laughter, tears, anger, elation and basketball knowledge. I'm not a religious man, but if i was i would say god bless you all, truly.
After 4 years all the hurt, drama and frustration paid off. the Prodigal son returned, we returned to the finals with the greatest basketball team I've ever rooted for and I can truly say that I never would've been able to appreciate this wonderful team had it not been for the last 5 years. Let this post be proof that it pays off to take the hard road, it pays off to stick to your guns, it pays off to keep shit real when your Idols don't. With LeBron coming back in town I've gotten a pretty interesting parallel to my initial first years as a fan. I look at him and his legacy and it honestly doesn't matter to me that much. I know how great he is and that is all that matters. What really occupies my thoughts, what keeps me awake at night, heart racing at 4.00 am is the thought of my team. My team, who I stood by through the bad times and gained an appreciation for thanks to a rabid group of internet savages called RCF, and their championship hopes. Nothing else matters. nothing else interests me.
God, I really hope we win.
When I joined this forum way back in 2009 on the heels of a disappointing second round elimination to a frustratingly well shooting Orlando team, I came in with the mindset of a kid with little to no basketball knowledge aside from the fact that I knew LBJ and viewed him as the be all end all of the NBA. He was the chosen one, the best player in the world and all I cared about. To me the Cavaliers was this rag tag bunch of secondaries who were always there but I had no interest in them beyond that. I was interested in one thing and one thing only: LeBrons legacy. I was a cunt, to be honest. the 09/10 season was the first time I actually interacted with true fans of an NBA franchise, and at first it confused the hell out of me. Who were these people? How in the world could be so invested in this team? and How in the world can they criticize LeBron friggin' James??
Like I said: A cunt.
that first year of activity on the boards was more formative for me than I initially thought. I slowly grew increasingly more invested in the team and started paying attention to, and engaging in discussions of subjects that I had never even remotely cared for. free agent signings, defensive system, (the lack of) offensive plays, teammate chemistry... for some reason, despite being on the other side of the atlantic ocean, I felt closer to a team and a city than I ever had in my life. You need to understand, I was never a sports fan. I hated jocks, thought Soccer (the predominant sport in Denmark) was a snoozefest beyond comprehension, and fan culture itself seemed irrational and silly to me. My first year on RCF, while sometimes tough and a bit shocking due to the passions of some posters here, was like getting a glimpse into another world and dimension, and I slowly grew to appreciate how uncompromising the posters on here were. I felt embraced by a community for the first time in my life, like being on a journey towards something amazing and feeling the comradery and unity present. Life was good.
And then we lost. to the Celtics. again.
Before I knew it, my idol, the paragon of my entire basketball fandom, the fucking catalyst to all this madness was gone, lollygaggin' around in the south with his buddies while I was left with a bunch of no names, and a community in flames. Could I have gone with him? donned the the black and red and moved on? Sure, I won't pretend I didn't think about it. LeBron James was basketball to me, nothing else had mattered for a while. At least that's what I thought. For as much as LeBron had meant to me in my formative years as a fan, I found, after he had left, that something truly had changed. Cleveland. Where I previously saw blurry shadows and no names, I saw players, human beings who had become a far bigger part of my life, than I would have ever imagined. the rag tag bunch of miscreants had grown to a symbol of something greater than anything one single player could ever hope to overshadow. So I made my own decision. I would not take the easy way out, I would not follow suit. I stayed.
I stayed through all the bullshit, while the rats jumped ship. The forum changed and I along with it. rooting for a bad team is a weird experience. you start appreciating the smaller things in the game. the hard fought victory against an equally shitty opponent. the draft and the scouting of young talent. the sparse player upgrades throughout the year. breaking a losing streak after months of running around like a headless chicken. you savour the hope, and tressure it, because deep down you know that hope is all you have. the hope for something better. the hope for something to pass along to help you off the ground. And after a full year of some of the most putrid basketball I will propably ever have to lay my eyes upon, the help came in the shape of a young Point Guard with a handle to die for and the jumpshot to match.
Kyrie, even moreso than LeBron, was my first guy. He was the first truly awesome player that I have followed throughout his entire career and the first player I really passionately defended and he was far more precious to me as a fan than LeBron, because that was all I had. The elation of watching him play was magnificent, how he would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for us slowly but surely watching him and our other young players develop was more gratifying than any triple double LBJ ever played for us.
As amazing as the highs were, the lows were equally soul crushing and hurtful. lockerroom drama, botched draft picks, and a small forward position that seemed borderline cursed after 23 took off made the rebuilding years one of the toughest periods of my life and it still shocks me just how emotionally draining the trials and tribulations of this team can be, despite having never even set foot in Cleveland. Still, this was my team dammit, and i'd be damned if I was to leave 'em in their time of need. I owe a great deal of thanks to everyone on this forum for instilling these beliefs and values in me, you have all given me more than I would've ever thought possible, both in terms of hardship, happiness, laughter, tears, anger, elation and basketball knowledge. I'm not a religious man, but if i was i would say god bless you all, truly.
After 4 years all the hurt, drama and frustration paid off. the Prodigal son returned, we returned to the finals with the greatest basketball team I've ever rooted for and I can truly say that I never would've been able to appreciate this wonderful team had it not been for the last 5 years. Let this post be proof that it pays off to take the hard road, it pays off to stick to your guns, it pays off to keep shit real when your Idols don't. With LeBron coming back in town I've gotten a pretty interesting parallel to my initial first years as a fan. I look at him and his legacy and it honestly doesn't matter to me that much. I know how great he is and that is all that matters. What really occupies my thoughts, what keeps me awake at night, heart racing at 4.00 am is the thought of my team. My team, who I stood by through the bad times and gained an appreciation for thanks to a rabid group of internet savages called RCF, and their championship hopes. Nothing else matters. nothing else interests me.
God, I really hope we win.