For one night, the Cavs ruled the world

Heading into Super Bowl III in 1969, the Baltimore Colts were favored by 18 points over the New York Jets. It was still six months before a man would walk on the moon, but Joe Namath believed that anything was possible. He guaranteed a Jets victory, and somehow, the 18 point underdogs won the game, 16-7.

In 1980, a ragtag group of American college hockey players faced off against the best hockey team in the world in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet Union had previously won five of nine games against NHL teams, and they were 5-0 in that Olympics, having outscored their opponents 51-11. Yet the Americans pulled off a miracle, and went on to win the gold medal.

And then last night, the 22-36 Cleveland Cavaliers went into Oklahoma City and beat the best team in the NBA's best conference. They did it without two of their three best players (Varejao, Waiters), and without another key rotation player (Miles). And they did it on the second night of a back-to-back.

I know it's a stretch to compare a regular season basketball game to a Super Bowl, or to an Olympic hockey tournament. Upsets happen in the NBA pretty regularly, and the Cavaliers have actually had a surprising amount of success against the Thunder recently. So, in truth, this game obviously wasn't on par with the Miracle on Ice.

But it was still amazing.

For one night, the disappointment of the season could be forgotten. For one night, every narrative about Kyrie Irving underachieving and wanting out of Cleveland could be silenced. For one night, the Cavaliers might as well have been the best team on the planet.

That's what makes sports great, and it's why every game is worth watching. You just never know.

Once the joy of this victory wears off, tough questions will remain. Can this team play like this consistently, especially against weaker competition? Are the playoffs already too far out of reach? Will Irving continue to play like a superstar once he starts sharing the backcourt with Waiters again?

Let's save those questions for tomorrow. Today is for enjoying an improbable win, no matter how meaningless it ultimately ends up being in the grand scheme.