{"id":22634,"date":"2016-10-21T08:03:45","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T15:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spijue.wpengine.com\/news\/lebron-cavs-start-nba-season-in-new-role-as-champions\/"},"modified":"2016-10-21T08:03:45","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T15:03:45","slug":"lebron-cavs-start-nba-season-in-new-role-as-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/sports\/lebron-cavs-start-nba-season-in-new-role-as-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron, Cavs start NBA season in new role as champions"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND<\/strong> \u2014 LeBron James took one last look over his shoulder at the scoreboard in Oracle Arena just to be sure.<\/p>\n

It was all so surreal, unimaginable.<\/p>\n

When James eyes saw only zeroes on the clock, he threw his arms around Kevin Love and time seemed to stand still. Game 7 of the NBA Finals was over as was a comeback for the ages. Golden State\u2019s one-year reign and dream season ended and so did Cleveland\u2019s 52-year championship drought.<\/p>\n

James delivered on his personal pledge to bring home a title in June. And although it\u2019s one he can never duplicate personally or for a fan base that had its heart broken and healed by him, the Cavaliers superstar and his teammates aren\u2019t resting, getting comfortable or complacent. They want more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still pretty much uptight,\u201d James said. \u201cWe\u2019re not satisfied with what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

A three-time champion, and at 31 still the most complete player on the planet, James, who has acknowledged wanting to chase down Michael Jordan and his six league crowns, will again lead a Cleveland team expected to win the Eastern Conference and make a third straight finals trip. There doesn\u2019t appear to be much in their way.<\/p>\n

Cleveland\u2019s Big 3 \u2014 James, Love and Kyrie Irving \u2014 have finally meshed after two turbulent, strange seasons when the trio of All-Stars were often disconnected. But whatever kept them from uniting seems to be resolved and they\u2019re determined to add to their legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mindset of this team is a lot different than maybe the first couple years,\u201d said Love, whose odd relationship with James and Cleveland fans is finally in a good place. \u201cFrom the onset you come in every year and want to compete for a championship, but we feel like we know exactly what we want to get done. I think just from a comfort standpoint it\u2019s pretty different. We are a ways ahead of where we were the first two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one of the things often overlooked about the Cavs \u2014 their core is only entering its third year together. And, this is the first one where they\u2019ve been at full strength from the start and guided by a coach they adore.<\/p>\n

Tyronn Lue\u2019s promotion after David Blatt was fired in January transformed the Cavs. Lue earned their respect by holding all of them \u2014 even James \u2014 accountable and making them understand nothing would be gained without sacrifice.<\/p>\n

They rallied from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors, and with a title, Lue expects his team to play with more freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you get the monkey off your back and you\u2019re crowned champions, you\u2019re at the top of the mountain, I think it\u2019s a lot easier,\u201d said Lue, who on a championship in 2001 with the Lakers. \u201cNow you can exhale and play the way you\u2019re capable of playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, as the first Cleveland team since 1964 to defend a title, here are some other things to watch with the Cavs:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

BANNER NIGHT: <\/strong>The Cavs will receive their diamond-studded championship rings before hosting the New York Knicks on Oct. 25. A banner will be unveiled in Quicken Loans Arena on what promises to be an emotional night in the city as the Indians will open the World Series next door at Progressive Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great times for all of us,\u201d said James, who has been attending baseball playoff games with his teammates. \u201cNot only the people playing, but everyone that lives around the area. They deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: <\/strong>James, who has been to six straight finals, knows what it takes win back-to-back championships after doing it in Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t become complacent,\u201d he said. \u201cOur GM has put together a great team, our owners have done what they needed to do. For us, it\u2019s up to us to continue to work our coaching staff\u2019s system and just play our game.\u201d<\/p>\n

SWISH ON BOARD: <\/strong>Cleveland was delayed in having all its pieces in place during training camp until last week when shooting guard J.R. Smith signed a four-year, $57 million contract.<\/p>\n

Smith, who made a franchise record 204 3-pointers last year, spreads the floor for James and he\u2019s one of Cleveland\u2019s best defenders. With his tattoos and carefree spirit, Smith has also become an unlikely fan favorite in Cleveland, a 180-degree turn from his time in New York.<\/p>\n

GOLDEN DATE:<\/strong> Put another circle around Dec. 25 on your calendar. For the second straight year, the Cavaliers and Warriors will exchange elbows rather than presents on Christmas. This will be their first matchup since last season\u2019s epic Game 7 and first since Kevin Durant took his talents to the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

NEW FACES: <\/strong>The Cavs let free agents Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov go and replaced them with Mike Dunleavy and Chris \u201cBirdman\u201d Andersen, a pair of proven veterans who blend in and give Lue more depth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 LeBron James took one last look over his shoulder at the scoreboard in Oracle Arena just to be sure. It was all so surreal, unimaginable. When James eyes saw only zeroes on the clock, he threw his arms around Kevin Love and time seemed to stand still. Game 7 of the NBA Finals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-22634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22634"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=22634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}