Why is James the first player in the Cavaliers history? Because the market is very small and there are few superstars in the team s history

On May 12, since the Cleveland Cavaliers joined the NBA in 1970, although they are not traditional giants, they have left a unique mark in league history. This team from Ohio State has experienced long troughs and brief highlights over more than half a century of journey, and LeBron James' name has always been closely intertwined with the fate of this team. When discussing the first person in the Cavaliers' history, James' existence almost made the topic lose its suspense - he was not only the team's only champion, but also reshapes the genes of this small market team with one force. The survival dilemma of small market teams**

The Cavaliers' history is a typical example of small market teams in the NBA. Before James joined as the No. 1 pick in 2003, the team made the playoffs only five times, and the best result stopped in the Eastern Conference Finals in the 1989-1990 season. Even during the All-Star players such as Mark Price and Brad Doherty, the Cavaliers have never been able to break through the blockade of Eastern powerhouses such as the Pistons and the Bulls. In the 33 seasons before 2003, the Cavaliers had a winning rate of less than 40% as many as 21 times, and even had a dark period of less than 20 games in four consecutive years. This long-term weak state makes Cleveland lack attractiveness in the free market, forming a vicious cycle of "no superstars willing to come - a sluggish record - a market shrinking".

**Subversive Changes in the James era**

At the 2003 draft, the Cavaliers won the No. 1 pick with a 22.5% chance. This Akron teenager, known by local media as "a gift from God to Ohio", has rewritten the team's history since the first day she put on the Cavaliers jersey. The rookie averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the rookie season, soared 18 games in a single season. In 2007, 22-year-old James led the Cavaliers with a mediocre lineup to the finals. Although the Spurs, led by GDP, were swept, they set the first finals record in team history. During this period, James topped the list of 12 major data records in the Cavaliers' history, including scoring, assists, and steals. His personal influence reached its peak in 2009. While he won the MVP in the season, the Cavaliers achieved the best record in team history of 66 wins and 16 losses. After the "decision" storm in 2010, James' return in 2014 is more legendary. At this time, the Cavaliers had missed the playoffs for four consecutive years, and James promised in an open letter from Sports Illustrated to "bring a championship to Cleveland." The 2015-2016 season became the most glorious chapter in the Cavaliers' history: in the desperate situation of 73 defeats the Warriors 1-3 in the finals, James' performance of 41 points and triple-double in two consecutive games, as well as the key block of the "The Block" in the tiebreaker, and finally fulfilled his promise. This championship not only ended the 52-year championship drought in Cleveland Professional Sports, but also created a miracle of 1-3 turnaround for the first time in the history of the finals. The James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game in the series, and was rated by the media as "the greatest personal performance in the history of the Finals".

**Dovernance of data and spirit**

Looking at James' two Cavaliers careers (2003-2010, 2014-2018), he maintains 19 data records in team history, including playing time, scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, and three-pointers. Its total regular season score (23,119 points) exceeded the total number of players in the second to fifth place in the Cavaliers' history, and its playoff score (5,572 points) accounted for 35% of the team's total playoff score in history. But what is more profound than the data is his reshaping of the team's culture: in the 2016 championship parade, James's sentence "Cleveland, this championship is for you" reveals his symbiotic relationship with the city. Even when he left the team in 2018, he still left the Cavaliers with eight playoff seasons, four finals trips and one championship legacy, which is a luxury for small market teams. Irreplaceable in the comparison**

The other stars in the Cavaliers' history are difficult to shake James' status. Although Mark Price led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, he never reached the threshold of the finals; Kyrie Irving, as a champion in 2016, had a winning rate of only 34.1% during his independent leadership; the active All-Stars such as Garland and Mitchell have not yet broken through the second round. It is worth noting that in the four seasons after James left the team (2011-2014, 2019-2020), the Cavaliers' winning rate plummeted to 27.6%, which shows his system support role. When the 2016 championship flag was hung in the dome of the Quick Loan Center, the "King James" shouted by Cleveland fans already explained: In this blue-collar city that longs for heroes, the child who came out of Akron has long surpassed the definition of an ordinary star and has become an unreplicable spiritual totem in the history of the Cavaliers.