“I think everybody forgot that LeBron James is just a basketball player. He’s not saving lives or anything important when it comes to his job, he’s just a basketball player.”

The words of radio personality Mike Trivissano summed it up best about his emotions of LeBron leaving Cleveland.

I can’t say that what happened this past summer didn’t upset me. I recall my high school days attending a basketball game at the “Q,” waving my arms as if LeBron ruled the city of Cleveland. Embarrassing? Yes, but three years ago I would have never conceived the thought of LeBron leaving the Cavaliers.

Surprise! It’s time to rebuild again, Cleveland.

While some dedicated fans are still flustered by what happened in “The Decision,” winning the season opener gives fans a reason to take the deep. The Cavaliers were able to come out on top of the Celtics without their former star athlete.

And what’s better, the Celtics beat the marketing trifecta from hell, known better as the Heat. So, in theory, the Cavs can beat Miami — maybe.

When you compare the Cavaliers’ forwards (Hickson, Jamison), to the Celtics (Garnett, Pierce), Boston has the advantage because of their experience. You’d expect Cleveland to struggle in filling the void at forward, but Cleveland did a nice job executing good plays.

Good scoring, strong rebounds, teamwork and, more importantly, they won an important game without LeBron at forward.

Byron Scott did a great job in regard to managing his players and play calls. They were aggressive at 3-point range, tripling the amount of 3-balls Boston had, and the Cavs made sure the defensive assignments were embraced throughout the game.

People, do not look past the meaning of this win. If you call it a fluke because the Celtics were “tired,” you’re a fool. If a team is tired by game two of the season, they shouldn’t play in the NBA. The Celtics came and played hard, which is commendable. The Cavs simply just played better, hence why they won.

Anyway, back to the meaning of the win. It’s not a superstar or any single person who won the season opener — it’s the team. It’s the reason why we beat the Eastern Conference Champs the other night, and it’s the reason to keep our heads up. For me, no King in Cleveland is no problem at all.

Contact Black Squirrel Radio sports director Eddie Kilroy at [email protected].