Led by head coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers have their eyes on the NBA Championship trophy, and so do Cleveland fans, Cleveland a largely Black major American city and the second largest city in Ohio, behind Columbus, the state capital.

Atkinson was crowned the NBA coach of the year by the NBA Coaches Association just 10 days ago, a worthy title, given his skill in guiding his team to become the No. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference during his first year as head coach.

Monday's game was a beatdown by the Cavs, who were on fire all night long and were simply splendid. They led Miami by more than 40 points in the first quarter alone, and at halftime, the lead was 39 points, the third-largest lead after two quarters in NBA playoff history. The Cavs rained threes throughout the Round 1 series, with fans looking forward to even more excitement in Round 2.

Mitchell told reporters after Monday's  game that "the key now is to keep our necks on" our next opponent," possibly the Pacers, who seek to oust the Bucks and  advance to the Conference Semi-Finals.

Cleveland has not won an NBA championship since 2016, when megastar LeBron James, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, was a team member.

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