Always Fighting // Kyrie Irving

Cleveland, This Is For You

Kyrie-

Oh. My. God. We did it. Cleveland did it. The city of champions.

The arena is silent for a second, absorbing what just happened. Then screams break out from our fans. Our bench is jumping up and down from excitement, I see LeBron pull Kevin in a hug, his mouth agape.

"Shump!" I yell, slamming my back against his as we jump in the air. A laugh escapes my mouth, unbelief at what we just accomplished. The court is filling with reporters and teammates and security. When I look over at LeBron, he's crouched on the floor.

There is so much chaos you can hardly hear one person over the other, but the general consensus is disbelief and amazement. I wrap my arms around LeBron as soon as I can, ignoring Doris waiting right by us.

"We did it, Bron. You did it. You led us here. You made us believe. You wouldn't let us doubt, not for one second, that we couldn't overcome this and here we stand. Champions!" I laugh as he lifts his head up from my shoulder.

"God, it just feels so good man. Champions! We're champions!" We both laugh and I grab his head with both hands, barely containing screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Woo! Woo!" I take a step back, a new bounce in step, and see Doris patiently waiting for her chance to speak. "I'm sorry Doris. I apologize," I say, even though we both know I don't really mean it. This is my moment with my teammate, my leader, and I'll be damned if I don't wrap him in a hug. She puts LeBron on the mic and everyone in the stadium can hear the millions of emotions he feels at that very moment.

"I set out a goal. Two years. When I came back. To bring a championship to this city. I gave everything that I had. I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat, my tears into this game and... Against all odds, against all odds. I don't know why we wanna take the hardest road, I don't know why the man above give me the hardest road. But, it's nothing the man above gonna put you in situations you can't handle. And I just kept that same positive attitude. Instead of saying "why me," saying "this is what'd he want me to do." And, Cleveland! This is for you!"

I continue to push through the crowds until I manage to find Sabrina in the stands. Same place she has always sat, standing there with the biggest smile on her face. I vault myself over the row of chairs and high step up the bleachers until I'm right next to her and I drag her into my arms.

"Baby girl, we did it!" When I pull away, she grabs my face with her hands, a smile on her face while she looks into my eyes.

"I don't even know what to do with you. I'm so proud right now! Argh!" She hugs me again, nuzzling her head into my shoulder. Then she releases me with a pat on my stomach. "Go! You have champagne to pour and a finals victory to celebrate. Go!" 

"I will catch up with you later I promise." 

"Kyrie," she says laughing. "Later will be like, what? 3 in the morning? Four?"

"Fine." I think about it quickly. "Tomorrow! We leave tomorrow for Cleveland. Come with me." 

"Wouldn't miss it." With that, she gives me a quick peck on the lips and nudges me down the steps.

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Everything, the media, the reporters, all of it, is just an obstacle in the way of our celebrating. As soon as possible, we all head to the locker room. Emotions are high, our bodies ache, but the party has just begun. Thousands of dollars of alcohol sits in our locker room, complete with goggles to save our eyes. Now it's just a matter of who starts it.

I look at Shump and JR and Kev with a grin on my face and we all snatch a bottle, shaking it up. There is so much laughter and happiness because none of us can contain the joy we feel. The second LeBron walks through the door, we douse him in a spray of champagne, dying of laughter when he stumbles slightly against the door. He wipes his eyes but grabs a bottle and returns the favor, flicking the alcohol until we're completely covered.

It smells of champagne and sweat and a bunch of weird colognes and I love it. I love every moment, every tear, every smile, every laugh. We stand together, our entire roster, our coaches, our assistant coaches, our trainers, every one of us a piece of a puzzle that somehow fit perfectly together. I don't know if it was by chance or happenstance, but here we are. Champions. Our names will go down in history because of what was accomplished today. What we accomplished together.

All of us played a part. From the starting lineup to the bench players. From encouragement on the floor, to encouragement in the locker room, we wouldn't be here with out each and every piece of our team. And it's beautiful.

The after party is just as chaotic as I dreamed it would be when I was a child. Even better. It's all about making this locker room smell like champagne for as long as humanly possible and inhaling as much as we can. It's about excessively stupid dance moves because why the hell not and blasting music over the speakers. It's about the relationship we have built as a team and celebrating our hard work.

A/N

Well guys... one more chapter than it's all over :( It's written completely differently than all of these and kind of sorts some things out. Thank you all so much for all the support and love you have show me! ❤️