the nail in the coffin | A Cleveland sports podcast

On Sunday night, the greatest era in Cavaliers franchise history came to a quiet end with a one-sentence press release announcing LeBron James had agreed to a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The guys look back on the uneasy alliance between LeBron and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that ultimately couldn’t last, the bizarre work in progress that is the Lakers’ roster that LeBron will be joining, the increasingly unbalanced landscape as the league’s biggest star becomes the latest elite player to go west, and the uncertain future of the Cavs.

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It was a painful NBA Finals – both figuratively and literally – for LeBron and the Cavs. Dodgy officiating, a killer mental mistake and a punched white board punctuated Game 1, and the Wine and Gold never recovered for the remainder of the series. The guys discuss the late-game proceedings in Game 1, LeBron’s busted hand, the burden on the Cavs’ front office navigating the draft and free agency in light of LeBron’s potential departure this summer, the Warriors’ weird dynamic with Kevin Durant, and how long Golden State can keep its nucleus together.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Let’s be honest: The Cavs are facing some of the longest odds in NBA Finals history when they tip off against Golden State for the fourth straight season. But is all hope lost? David Zavac, contributor for The Athletic, is back on The Nail to dive into what the Cavs can try to do to make this a competitive series. The guys also touch on the absence of Andre Iguodala and most likely Kevin Love for Game 1, how some of Cleveland’s new faces can fit into this four-year rivalry and the difference for the Cavs between playing as the team to beat in the East playoffs vs. having nothing to lose in the Finals.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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LeBron James delivered an epic, wire-to-wire performance, the Cavs’ role players—led by Jeff Green!—provided just enough scoring support, and the Cavaliers are Eastern Conference champions for the fourth straight year after winning Game 7 on Sunday night in Boston. The guys get together a night later to look back on a dramatic, draining closeout game and its most memorable moments.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Baffling coaching decisions, blown defensive assignments, bad shooting and a battered jaw for one LeBron James have left the Cavs halfway to getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the next two games at The Q, the Wine & Gold aren't completely in dire straits just yet. Still, it’s been ugly so far. The guys discuss Ty Lue’s decision to ride with JR Smith over Kyle Korver in the starting lineup, the struggles of the newer members of the roster, the “organizational fatigue” plaguing everyone who has been around for the long haul, and the weight of trying to fight back in a series knowing what would await in the Finals (and *not* knowing what awaits this summer).

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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With a ridiculous running floater off the glass last Saturday night, LeBron James broke the spirit of yet another Eastern Conference franchise, as the Raptors bowed out meekly on Monday and fired head coach Dwane Casey four days later. A transcendent postseason for LeBron continues in the Eastern Conference finals, where the depleted-but-not-defeated Boston Celtics await. Aside from LeBron’s shot-making abilities, the Cavs were steadied in Round 2 by the presence of point guard George Hill, the outside shooting of J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver, and a devastating two-man game from Korver and Kevin Love. The guys preview the conference finals with the Celtics, air grievances about Boston, and quickly set up the West series between Houston and Golden State.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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It was the most nerve-wracking first round series to ever involve LeBron James wearing wine and gold, but the Cavs survived their matchup with the Pacers. In Game 7 on Sunday, LeBron was LeBron, but his supporting cast finally came through, too. Tristan Thompson looked like the Tristan Thompson of old as he crashed the glass, and George Hill returned after a three-game absence to steady the squad through the final 19 minutes. The guys discuss how the Cavs ultimately outlasted a better-than-expected Indiana team, and then look ahead to another series with the Raptors in the conference semifinals. Every adjustment Toronto has made in the past year has been with Cleveland in mind, and for the first time, the Raptors are favored to win the series. But, ultimately, will this year’s edition of Cavs-Raps be any different than the past two?

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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A lot of fans figured the Eastern Conference playoffs would be more challenging for the Cavs this season than in recent years, but few could have predicted a full-fledged fight in the first round. Nevertheless, the Indiana Pacers are giving the Cavs all they can handle through four games. The guys welcome their old pal Mark Meszoros back to the show to discuss the burden LeBron is carrying, Ty Lue’s strange rotations and inexplicable fascination with Jeff Green, the revival of JR Smith—both as a scorer and as a defender on Indiana’s Victor Oladipo—and the challenge of getting Kevin Love going.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Mike Zavagno of FearTheSword.com and the Cavalytics podcast joins the show to help the guys get ready for the NBA playoffs. It was a strange season—or maybe even four or five seasons rolled into one—for the Cavs. But as they get ready for the Pacers in the first round, the Wine and Gold appear to finally have their full lineup available for the first time since the trade deadline. The guys discuss players like Jeff Green and Jose Calderon going from afterthoughts at the beginning of the year to key members of the playoff rotation, how the players acquired at the deadline—Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson—will fit into the Cavs’ plans, familiar faces who could have reduced (or entirely eliminated) roles, and what more to expect from LeBron James after a tremendous 15th regular season. Plus, a rundown of the rest of the playoffs: Are the Sixers the Cavs’ biggest threat in the East? Was Golden State gifted a path to the Western Conference finals? And can anyone challenge the Rockets or Warriors in the early rounds? ... Oh, and there's also a story in the first five minutes about the time Mike encountered Taylor Swift at customs in the U.S. Virgin Islands and ended up in tabloids around the world. (Yes, really.)

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Ready or not, the Indians begin their 2018 season on Thursday night in Seattle. To ring in the new year, the guys go around the horn on all things Tribe-related with Anthony Castrovince, national columnist for MLB.com and contributor for the MLB Network. How will the Indians replace all of the players gone from last year's 102-win squad? How much can we expect from talented (but injury-plagued) veterans such as Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall? Will Greg Allen, Bobby Bradley, Francisco Mejia or other players in the Tribe's system make an impact with the big league club this year? Can the Twins (or anyone else) in the AL Central threaten the Indians' chances of making the postseason for a third straight year? Castrovince answers those questions and covers lots more around Major League Baseball in a packed edition of The Nail.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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