What a Cavaliers Championship Would Mean for City of Cleveland

Fifty years ago, America was consumed by the Vietnam War, Beatlemania and the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The average U.S. citizen's income was $6,000, which was reasonable considering they were traveling to work on just 30 cents per gallon of gas. Ford's Mustang made its debut, and studies began showing that smoking cigarettes may actually not be so great for your health.

It also marked a NFL championship season for the Cleveland Browns, the last pro title the city has witnessed.

Since then? It's been a series of heartbreak and disappointment for fans of the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers.

While much has changed since 1964, the end result of every Cleveland franchise's season has remained the same. After decades of dismal play, could this year's Cavaliers team finally be the one to end the drought, and what would a championship mean for the city of Cleveland?

Recent Suffering

A 2014 study by Forbes.com ranked Cleveland as America's third-most miserable sports city, although some would argue that's still not high enough.

While the city captured seven total titles in its first 89 combined seasons, the last 141 tries have yielded exactly zero championships.

The reason for all this struggling has varied.

There's been plenty of poor on-field performance, incompetent front-office management and even the sale of a franchise. The words "drive," "fumble," "shot," "Modell" and "decision" still cause a cringe among many Northeast Ohioans.

The past few years have also brought their disappointments. The Indians have wallowed in mediocrity, with just one playoff game in the past seven years. The Browns haven't topped five wins since 2007, and the Cavaliers have been the NBA's worst team since LeBron James made his original decision in 2010.

With James back in town, does this mean the suffering will finally end?

Championship Expectations

James announcing his return to Cleveland may not have made them favorites to win the 2015 NBA title, but a trade for Kevin Love and other veterans jumping on board sure did.

According to OddsShark.com, Las Vegas has set the Cavaliers' win projection at 58.5, the highest of any team.

Jason Miller/Getty Images

James is a proven champion, four-time MVP and widely considered the best player in the game today. Kyrie Irving and Love have put up gaudy numbers the past couple seasons and still have their best years ahead of them. Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao have been through the rebuild and are hungry to win. Newly-added veterans Mike Miller, Shawn Marion, James Jones and Brendan Haywood all bring championship experience.

James (15.9) and Love (14.3) both ranked among the top three players in win shares a season ago. Combined with Irving (6.7), that's nearly 37 total wins that three players alone contributed to their teams last year. The Cavaliers finished the 2013-14 campaign with 33 victories.

With the Eastern Conference in such a vulnerable state, the Cavs should face even less resistance to the Finals than they did from 2005-10.

While squads like the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder could also throw their hats in the ring, the Cavaliers may actually be the best of the bunch.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Not since the Cavs of the late 2000s or Indians of the mid-1990s has Cleveland rolled out a team with such lofty expectations.

What happens if they actually (gulp) deliver?

Change of Fortune

Cleveland tends to get a bad rap among sports and entertainment personalities.

Flash back to the ESPY's, where host Drake stated, "I mean, you know what $40 million gets you in Miami? A really nice house. You know what $40 million gets you in Cleveland? Cleveland. All of it. You get the whole thing."

Even James in his Sports Illustrated essay said, "Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get."

Both made valid points.

The area, as well as its sports teams, have mostly fallen on hard times over the past 50 years. A poor economy has resulted in a loss of jobs and forced over half of the cities' youth to live in poverty.

What got overlooked in that line from James, however, was the word "our."

Ty Wright/Getty Images

James, Akron born and Cleveland adopted, knows what a championship would mean for the city. Even after four years in Miami, where warm weather and beaches are plentiful, James chose to come back to Northeast Ohio.

Why?

"My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from," he told SI.

In a way, James' return gave the city a glimpse of what a championship would bring as well: Hope.

Hope that one day the city won't be a gag line to an opening monologue. That they won't have to go 50-plus years in between championships. Hope that Cleveland could finally be on top of the sports world, if only for a little while.

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

"In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have," James told SI.

Soon, the Cavaliers will indeed be getting to work.

What they earn, above all else, could be a city's restored hope.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010. Connect with him on Twitter for more basketball news and conversation.

All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Facts regarding 1964 provided by ThePeopleHistroy.com.