DETROIT — When I woke up Saturday morning, May 16, I had an email from my Cavs United rep. The subject line read: Join Us in Detroit – Game 7!!
I immediately sat up in bed, eyes wide. Had I really been summoned? I’ll admit, I was quite jealous when I saw fellow season ticket holders get sent by the busload to the Motor City to cheer the Cavaliers to a win in Game 5 earlier in the week. I assumed the privilege was reserved for the high rollers, the longtime members of the club.
This season is only my fourth. But it didn’t matter. The email said, “Enter for the chance to join us as we Take It on the Road for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Detroit.” I completed the form as quickly as I could and within 10 minutes I got a phone call.
“Are you and Gabe ready to go to Detroit?”
The 16th is also my mom’s birthday. I called to wish her well and tell her the good news. She couldn’t believe it; she was so excited for me.
I’ve written this many times before, but in case you’re new here, I’m a lifelong Cavs fan. Landing this opportunity was pretty incredible. I’ve been to countless games including Games 4 and 6 in the Detroit series. But I’ve never been to a playoff game on the road, and never been to a Game 7.
I told her no matter what happens, win or lose, I’ll be grateful for the experience.
“But they need to win,” she said.
Yeah, who are we kidding?
On the road to Detroit for Cavs vs Pistons Game 7
We were told to wear wine or black so the next day, I broke out my wine Max Strus Playhouse Square-inspired City Edition jersey, put in my Cavs C logo earrings, grabbed my The Land jean jacket, packed up my 2016 NBA Champions clear bag and was ready to go.
We met at the Muni Lot where we checked in, got our bus number, signed waivers and were given Beat Detroit T-shirts and bagged lunches from Jersey Mike’s. Everything ran smoothly considering how many people were there. It didn’t occur to me until later that there were significantly more people than the 400 some that were estimated to have gone to Game 5.
We later heard we were among more than 20 busloads of people who made the trip to Detroit for Game 7.
The bus ride was fun, and the energy was great. Everyone was so excited to be there. It felt good to be surrounded by fellow Cavs fans and embark on this journey together. It definitely added a positive spirit to the day because I was honestly quite nervous. After the disappointing Game 6 loss in Cleveland, walking out onto the concourse in Rocket Arena surrounded by Pistons fans yelling, “Deeetroit baaasketballl!” over and over didn’t feel great.
Obviously, this was a must-win situation.
Welcome to Detroit
We made it to Detroit right around 5:30 p.m. where we were warmly welcomed by the 216 Stix, the Cavalier Girls and DJ Steph Floss. It was a party to say the least.
The playoff decor was on point, the music was blasting, there were drinks and food everywhere and Cavs fans from corner to corner having a great time.
I’ll say I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert. I didn’t really have any particular feelings about him until he wrote that infamous letter in comic sans font. I thought it was pretty low. But we can all let bygones be bygones. And he made up for it when he ultimately praised LeBron James after the Cavs won their championship in 2016.
What he did to allow Cavs fans to be a part of something like this for two playoff games without them spending a dime is pretty remarkable. And you could argue that fans’ presence at both games made a difference in the outcome. If you’re reading this Dan, thank you!
As one fan put it, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam could learn a thing or two. But honestly, if it’s not in your nature, not a part of the culture you’re trying to build within your locker room and fandom, what do you expect?
Before taking on the Pistons May 17, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson was asked about the fan presence at road games.
“I noticed it, the players noticed. It’s extremely generous of him,” he said of Gilbert. “He wants to win badly, and having more support, it matters when you see friendly faces.”
Dan Gilbert’s meaning behind bussing Cavs fans to Detroit
When I looked it up later, the banquet space we were occupying was inside Hudson’s, located on Nick Gilbert Way in downtown Detroit. The plaza is named after Gilbert’s son, Nick, who died in 2023 at age 26 after dealing with neurofibromatosis his whole life. It’s worth noting that Dan Gilbert is a Detroit native.
The team and the Gilbert family have worked to bring awareness to the disease through the Gilly Project, the Gilbert Family Foundation and the annual Bow Tie Game during the Cavs season.
Let’s go, Cavs!
After the happy hour, which included pump-up speeches and toasts from Cavs CEO Nic Barlage and Gilbert’s other son, VP of Basketball and Business Operations Grant Gilbert, it was finally time to head to Little Caesars Arena for the game.
Even though I’ve been going to Cavs games since it was Gund Arena, I haven’t really been to many other NBA arenas. When I lived in Atlanta, I went to State Farm Arena to watch the Cavs play the Hawks there, and I’ve been to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte and United Center in Chicago for concerts, but that’s pretty much it.
I don’t care for their pizza, but Little Caesars Arena was impressive. Although I knew it carried that name for some time, I thought maybe the inside had been redone because it seemed so new, but I learned it opened 2017.
As we got our tickets scanned, all I could hear was “Let’s go, Cavs!” reverberating throughout the atrium and that was pretty awesome. Peeved Pistons fans just kind of looked around. There was nothing they could do about it. Of course, we didn’t outnumber them, but dang, there were a lot of us.
Cold beers in hand, we found our seats and were pleased to see they were right at half court. At the 200 level in that middle position, we really had a great view.
I took it all in, looked around and just appreciated the moment. As a dedicated Cavs fan, this day is definitely among my most cherished memories at this point. Even before this, being a part of Cavs United is well worth it. I only do a quarter season, which is about 10 or so games, and I’m not treated any differently. Gilbert doing this is just another testament to that.
Before we knew it, it was time for tipoff. We had two Cavs fans sitting right to our left, but we were mostly surrounded by Pistons fans. There were little groupings of Cavs fans throughout our section though.
Once the game was underway, the stadium was electric. It was never quiet. From Detroit fans yelling “de-fense” over our “Let’s go, Cavs” or our “boos” over their “Let’s go, Pistons” there was never a dull moment. At one point, there was a quieter moment between free throws for Cleveland when I yelled, “shave your mustache!” to Detroit’s Duncan Robinson. That got some laughs. Seriously though, he should.
As the game progressed and it was clear Cleveland would come out on top, I was on cloud nine, just floating up in Section 211. I was so happy.
Cavs and Pistons fans can relate
I did want to point out that all the Pistons fans we interacted with were pleasant. The ones sitting next to me asked if we were with the groups that were bussed in and we said, yes. When they got up to leave a few minutes before the game was over, one of them asked how much it cost to go on the trip.
“Oh, we didn’t pay anything,” I said.
“Ugh, that makes it even worse,” the guy exclaimed with a laugh and wished us safe travels home.
On our way our out, several Detroit fans even congratulated us and wished us luck against the New York Knicks, who the Cavs will face next at 8 p.m. May 19. A pair of fans told Gabe and me that sure, they were let down, but they were used to disappointment over the years as a city, something Cleveland sports fans can certainly relate to.
“Make sure you beat New York,” one of them said, expressing that sense of Midwestern camaraderie in a shared disdain for New York City.
On to the next
Will Gilbert do something similar for the Eastern Conference Finals? Who knows. I figured him being from Detroit, he probably had some connections that helped things along, so I’m not counting on it. People were trying to guess how much this might have cost him, but I’m sure New York prices would be way more.
Regardless, I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to go. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget.
I pulled into the driveway at 2:59 a.m. and slept well, dreaming about basketball.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: I was lucky enough to root Cavs on to Game 7 win in Detroit | Column
Reporting by Lauren J. Young, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
