If the Cleveland Cavaliers have done one thing this season it's prove Lebron James is capable of making a horrible team good. Well, that and be embarrassingly bad. At 11-47 they currently have the worst record in the NBA and somewhere along the way they set an NBA record with 26-consecutive losses. Though I am happy not to be a fan of the Cavs, the sad truth is that they've had a more interesting season than the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks were a team on the rise after finishing last season 46-36 and almost knocking off the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings would develop into a formidable tandem and the good times that started rolling at the end of last season would continue into the 2010 campaign. But instead of watching a young team develop into something special the Bucks have treated fans to one of the least enjoyable seasons possible.
At no point this season have the Bucks demonstrated any reason for hope. Sure, there have been some flickers of promise here and there, but nothing more. The Bucks longest winning streak of the season is three games and the last (and only) time they won four of five was back in November, which is also the last time there were at .500. The Bucks may very well sneak into the playoffs, but that's nothing to get too excited about considering that the only thing keeping them in the hunt of the 8-seed is the ineptitude of the bottom half of the Eastern Conference. The Cavs, on the other hand, have at least found a way to be memorable.
Though setting a consecutive loss record is nothing to be proud of, it is not necessarily a bad thing. For one, part of the joy of being a sports fan is having a shared experience with other fans, whether it be good or bad. For Cavs fans the losing streak was at least something they could get angry about together. More importantly, ten years from now they'll have some stories to share about how much fun it was to watch the Cavs end the streak. This brings me to my next point, which is that the Cavs' overtime win against the Clippers to end the streak was genuinely compelling. It may not be the type of excitement fans typically look for, but was excitement nonetheless.
Contrast this to the Bucks. Their season has been the epitome of forgettable. Any exciting moment they've had has been confined to the game being played. Buzzer beaters are nice, but buzzer beaters against a team you're tied with in the standings are even better. The Cavs' win against the Clippers fit into a larger narrative, which in turn made it special. The next Bucks game with meaningful subtext will be their first.
Now, this is not to say that it is better to be a fan of the Cavs than the Bucks or that losing is fun. However, the truth is that sometimes going down in flames is better than anonymously crawling through a forgettable season. Cleveland at least has something historic to talk about. Milwaukee? Not so much.
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