It’s been a good week for Cleveland, and fans of the city’s sports teams, at least the ones currently playing their regular seasons. That includes a few of us here in the offices of the ShaqFu Radio blog, and we’re enjoying it big-time.
As of this posting date, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 16-1. They’ve started the season on an absolute tear, losing only one game to the NBA Champ Boston Celtics this past week (again, as of this posting date). After losing to Boston, the Cavs returned to their winning ways. The Champ Celtics, by the way, have three losses on the season so far.
Meanwhile, did you see that crazy NFL game in “The Land” Thursday night? Yes, you have to have an Amazon Prime subscription for those “TNF” games, but this one was worth the price, in our humble opinion. After an interesting start, game-wise, the weather turned downtown Cleveland into an absolute snow-globe, as announcers Al Michaels and Kirk Hirbsteit called it. It was super-fun to watch! The loyal Browns fans stayed through the entire game, and the Browns rewarded the people in the stands – and the TV audience as well – to a Shaq-sized upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
So…one loss for the Cavs. No big deal, and no reason for fans to panic. Remember: the Cavaliers are still sitting pretty at 16-1. That’s a pretty solid record for a team that’s quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) reminding everyone that they might just be for real this year.
Now, is it too early to start thinking about championship runs and parades down Euclid Avenue? Sure. But that’s not stopping anyone from getting excited. And who better to stoke the flames of hype than the Big Aristotle himself, Shaquille O’Neal?
On NBA on TNT, Shaq dropped a bombshell take that sent Cleveland fans scrambling for their “Cavs Are Going to Win the Championship” T-shirts. O’Neal, who has been around the block a few times (and by “around the block,” I mean “he’s been to the NBA Finals four times and won four rings”), confidently declared that he sees the Cavs making it all the way to the NBA Finals and possibly even winning it all. Yes, you read that right. Shaq said the Cavs could beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and then take down the entire league in the Finals. Cue the We Are The Champions anthem.
“I like them [Cleveland] to beat Boston in the ECF and possibly be champions,” Shaq said, not even bothering to add any qualifiers like, “If everyone stays healthy” or “They need to improve their free throw shooting” — nope, just straight confidence.
Of course our man Shaq is an NBA legend who knows a thing or two about championship teams. So when he throws his weight behind Cleveland, it’s not exactly small potatoes.And honestly, you can see why Shaq is all in. The Cavs have the perfect blend of a superstar (Donovan Mitchell), a killer supporting cast (Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen), and role players who actually know their roles (we’re looking at you, Max Strus — when you return, things could get even crazier). Plus, let’s not forget the bench, which has been solid with Ty Jerome, Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Dean Wade providing crucial minutes.
On top of that, head coach Kenny Atkinson is getting rave reviews for his decision-making and game plans. So yeah, the Cavs are looking like a team that’s gelling and could go the distance — and if Shaq believes in them, maybe we should too.
Of course, it’s still early in the season, and we’ve got a long way to go before anyone starts printing championship banners. But hearing Shaq throw his weight behind the Cavs just makes it feel… well, a little more real. And who knows? Maybe by the time June rolls around, we’ll all be looking at Cleveland as the new NBA kings. But, for now, Cavs fans, bask in the hype. After all, Shaq said it. And Shaq knows best.