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Cleveland Cavaliers
Overall: 13
Title track: T19
Ownership: 38
Coaching: 39
Players: 21
Fan relations: 16
Affordability: 41
Stadium experience: 29
Bang for the buck: 12
Change from last year: +31
The Cavaliers broke their city's 50-plus year championship curse to rise in the rankings to ... No. 13?! There always has to be something unlucky about Cleveland, doesn't there? Triskaidekaphobia aside, LeBron James & Co.'s epic comeback against the Golden State Warriors to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy rightfully has this group up 31 spots in our standings, knocking on the door for consideration as a top-10 franchise in sports.
What's good
Now that the titleless drought has been lifted in Cleveland, it's not so incomprehensible for the Cavs to have the gumption to do it in back-to-back years. They jumped up 32 spots from a season ago in title track, tying with James' favorite baseball team in the New York Yankees for No. 19. And make no mistake -- James himself has plenty to do with the Cavs' No. 21 ranking in players, up 94 spots from two years ago. The Cavs also rocketed up the charts in bang for the buck, moving up 36 spots to No. 12 overall. It seems like the chance to see a play like James' chase-down block in Game 7 of the NBA Finals live always makes the price of admission worth it.
What's bad
Here's a first: There's not much to complain about as a Cleveland fan. The Cavs' lowest ranking came in affordability, though, at 41st. It's still in the top third of teams. And their average ticket price -- of $48.12, seven bucks below the league average -- is lower than 17 teams who aren't NBA champs. Best of all? At Quicken Loans Arena, you can fill up on league-low beers, at just $4 a pop for 12 ounces, and $3 hot dogs (also a league-low).
What's new
Nobody who voted in these rankings is missing David Blatt: Tyronn Lue's promotion from associate head coach to the top dog represented the biggest improvement in any category for Cleveland, as its coaching rank jumped 51 spots to No. 39. Lue became the first midseason replacement ever to guide his team to the title and started off his first-ever postseason 10-0, besting Pat Riley's previous mark. Curiously, the Cavs remained No. 7 in the NBA in the players ranking, while lesser teams like Boston, Memphis and Portland all moved up ahead of them.
Next: Memphis Grizzlies | Full rankings