Fansided

Updated NBA power rankings of suffering

By Akash Anavarathan

CLEVELAND, OH- JUNE 16: Cleveland Cavaliers fans react during Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 16, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Golden State Warriors defeated The Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 to win their first championship since 1975. (Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH- JUNE 16: Cleveland Cavaliers fans react during Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 16, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Golden State Warriors defeated The Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 to win their first championship since 1975. (Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 30
Next

27. Cleveland Cavaliers

I thought long and hard about this one. The Cavaliers are a competitive, championship-level team with LeBron James. Without him? They’re a bottom-dweller in the Eastern Conference and will compete for ping-pong balls in the lottery.

With LeBron’s pending free agency in 2018 looming over the franchise — and city — like a dark cloud, their spot on this power ranking of suffering really depended on that.

I decided that LeBron would consider staying home in Cleveland to wrap up his career, which meant that the Cleveland fans will get to enjoy the second-best player in NBA history for another five, six seasons. Their title window may have closed with the Warriors seeming to be unbeatable by anyone, but LeBron and the Cavaliers can still be the King of the East.

With a championship in their rear-view mirror, the Cavaliers and their fans have to be fairly happy considering their suffering for the past 50 years.

If LeBron bounces again, they might as well be first on this list, but for now, I think the fans of Cleveland are happy with their first-ever NBA championship.

Home/NBA