Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 steps to repeat as NBA Champions

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2015-2016 NBA Finals. What do they need to do to ensure they repeat as champions next season?

The curse is broken in Cleveland! The Cleveland Cavaliers did the unthinkable and overthrew the Golden State Warriors, the team that clinched the best regular season record in NBA history.

However, despite the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland still celebrating the historic comeback victory, there is work that must be done if the Cavaliers want to repeat as NBA champions.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is an NBA repeat bid. If the Cavaliers want to have the best chance available to win consecutive NBA Finals, then they will need to take full advantage of this offseason.

First, let’s examine the landscape of teams that have attempted a championship repeat.

In the past five seasons, the NBA has had three legitimate repeat bids.

The Miami Heat had the first chance to repeat after they won the 2011-2012 Finals. The Heat  were able to pull together and win a championship the next season, thus successfully completing their repeat bid. However, whenever the Heat attempted to win their third straight championship, their bid fell short. The Heat lost in five games to the legendary San Antonio Spurs.

The second bid belonged to the San Antonio Spurs, but it never had the chance to get off the ground. The Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the 2014-2015 playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers. As a result of the Spurs’ stumbles, the Warriors had the opportunity to clinch the western conference and went on to win the NBA Finals that season.

In the following season, the Warriors launched one of the greatest campaigns in NBA history to repeat as champions. Golden State banded together and defeated practically every regular season opponent as they marched towards history.

As the playoffs began, it was a common knowledge that whatever team emerged as the winner of the eastern conference would have little chance to stop this juggernaut’s bid to repeat. The first two games of this year’s Finals back this claim up, as the Warriors trounced Cleveland.

However, just when the entire world had written off the Cavaliers’ ability to make history, Cleveland did just that.

The Cavaliers went on to win the Finals after being down three games to one. Part of what made Cleveland’s win so impressive was that they had to defeat the best regular season team of all-time twice on their home court. After a season of smacking other opponents down- the Warriors got a taste of their own medicine.

Now, the Cavaliers have their own chance to repeat as champions. Can they do what the Spurs and Warriors could not do?

If the Cavaliers make these five moves then the city of Cleveland might just have another championship parade headed their way.

Next: Step 1: keep the band together