2016 was Cleveland's most unforgettable sports year
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2016 remains one of the most electrifying, improbable sporting years in the city's history.
Why it matters: The recent nostalgia trend for all things 2016 has us thinking about the Cavs' NBA championship.
- It was a historic event. No team had ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit to claim the title.
State of play: The Cavs did it against the Golden State Warriors, who had amassed the best-ever record (73-9) in an NBA season.
- More than a million fans funneled downtown for the championship parade, one of the largest gatherings in city history.
- It was Cleveland's first major pro sports title since 1964, and a moment of redemption and ascension for LeBron James, the hometown hero.
What he said: "Cleveland, this is for you!"
The intrigue: The Indians very nearly pulled off the same feat a few months later.
- They surged through the MLB postseason, defeating Boston and Toronto to win the American League pennant before pushing the Chicago Cubs to seven games in a high-decibel World Series.
- Reliever Andrew Miller emerged as one of the most dominant postseason pitchers of his era.
Under the radar: Earlier in the year, Euclid native Stipe Miocic won the UFC heavyweight championship, becoming the first fighter from Northeast Ohio to hold the belt.
Vibe check: It had always been Cleveland against the world, but it finally felt like we had the upper hand — like the punchline was getting the last laugh.
- A decade later, 2016 remains the benchmark against which every Cleveland sports year is measured.
Yes, but: The trusty Browns found a way to ruin the party, as usual.
- That year, under head coach Hue Jackson, they went 1–15, a mark of futility and incompetence surpassed only by the following year, when they went 0-16.