CLEVELAND — Following a parade choked to a crawl by a massive crowd, after proclamations, speeches and fanfare, Cleveland watched a symbolic passing of the trophy — and the torch. ADVERTISING CLEVELAND — Following a parade choked to a crawl
CLEVELAND — Following a parade choked to a crawl by a massive crowd, after proclamations, speeches and fanfare, Cleveland watched a symbolic passing of the trophy — and the torch.
When Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown handed the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, the city’s long wait was officially over.
After 52 long years, this was a title town again.
Cheered for hours by a sea of adoring fans who first engulfed the downtown streets and then the Cavs, James and the newly crowned NBA champions were honored Wednesday with a parade and a once-in-a-generation party.
The Cavs chased down history by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in a wild seven-game NBA Finals, a comeback that ended the city’s 52-year championship drought stretching back to Brown leading the Browns to a win over the Baltimore Colts in the NFL championship in 1964.
But on a sun-kissed summer day in this football-crazed town, everyone was a Cavaliers fan and Cleveland wrapped its arms around a team that came together and defied the odds to win it all.
“It still hasn’t hit me that this has happened,” said James, who delivered on his promise to bring a championship to his home state with a magnificent playoff performance. He said he’ll be back with the Cavs next season. “It’s so surreal. For some crazy reason, I feel like I’m gonna wake up and it’s going to be Game 4 again.”
Moments later, James cradled the shiny, golden trophy in his arms like a newborn. This was his baby — and Cleveland’s.
The city’s first championship parade since the Indians won the World Series in 1948 will long be remembered for a crowd that halted the procession, forcing police to use bicycles and a horseback unit to create enough space for cars, bands and floats to pass. The swarm spilled off the sidewalks, people packed so tightly that fans could reach into the vehicles and high-five their heroes.
Cleveland police did not have an immediate estimate on the crowd’s size, but the team and officials at the rally said more than 1 million people attended. Regardless, fans packed in 50 deep in spots along the 2-mile parade route, and snarled traffic badly enough to delay some outgoing flights at Cleveland’s airport because crews couldn’t make it to their planes.
