CLEVELAND (WJW) — Ten years ago, Cleveland experienced one of the most unforgettable moments in the city’s history.

The Cavaliers became the first-ever team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. By winning the 2016 NBA Finals, they also ended a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland.

Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr, said he still relishes that moment 10 years later.

“The odds we overcame to win that championship,” he said. “Not only did we have to win three straight games, but we also had to have the right things happen at the right moment in order to win it. And that just tells me how difficult it is … with ‘The Shot’, ‘The Block’, and the defensive move. All those. It was just meant to be.”

The victory over the Golden State Warriors catapulted LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and the rest of the crew into essential Northeast Ohio sainthood.

When Akron’s own James screamed the now-famous phrase, “Cleveland, this is for you!” following the game, a whole legion of Cleveland fans around the country wept and cheered along with him.

When Smith refused to put a shirt on for what seemed like a whole summer in honor of the win, it felt right and proper.

Whenever the long-since traded Irving comes back to town, he’s remembered for his important 3-pointer at the end of Game 7 and not the way he left the team.

And the city made history again just a few days later, when more than 1.3 million people flooded downtown Cleveland for the championship parade. According to the Cavs, it remains the largest NBA championship parade ever.

The current Cavaliers (now in their Donovan Mitchell era) haven’t been back to the NBA Finals. They reached the conference finals this past spring for the first time since 2018. But a finals appearance has still eluded the wine and gold.

CLEVELAND, OH — Cleveland police and Gov. Mike DeWine’s office touted the results of a violent crime reduction operation that led to 11 arrests and took eight illegally possessed guns off the city’s streets Wednesday.

“We got bad people off the street, and we’ll continue to get bad people off the street,” said Cleveland Police Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz.

The operation was a collaboration between police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Marshals Service and the Ohio Investigative Unit.

Diaz said it focused on both traffic enforcement and executing search warrants and arrest warrants targeting suspected criminals identified through ongoing investigations.

“[We] use intelligence-led policing to really saturate specific areas where we believe there’s an influx of crime, violent crime in particular,” said Diaz.

The numbers were music to the ears of Councilman Mike Polensek.

“We want this presence,” said Polensek, who chairs the council’s Safety Committee. “We want this presence in our neighborhoods. You’ve got to lay the law down. Our residents want this to take place.”

Polensek previously called on Mayor Justin Bibb to ask for help from the state and county to address what he called ridiculous levels of violence in the city.

Polensek cited numbers showing Cleveland police have lost hundreds of officers over the last two decades.

‘If we’re going to reclaim our streets, that’s what it’s going to be, all hands on deck,” said Polensek.

Diaz said more of the special details are already planned, but he would not reveal specific details.

He did offer this warning to the criminals terrorizing the city.

“If there are any bad actors that watch Channel 5, we want this message to get out,” said Diaz, “that we didn’t get you this time, we’re going to get you next time.”

Cleveland Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman has made it clear that there won’t be a rebuild for next season’s team, but changes will be made.

After tasting their first conference finals in eight years, the Cavs will be eager to do one better ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, and Altman has the pieces available to him to achieve just that.

It isn’t a rebuild; it’s a retool.

To really get the best out of this Cavs side in the offseason and for the team to compete for the NBA crown, Altman will need to focus on these key factors.

Solidify Donovan Mitchell’s future

It’s undoubtedly the Cavs’ top priority this offseason. Securing a long-term contract with its star player, Donovan Mitchell and preventing him from entering free agency is key to Cleveland’s success.

What’s uplifting is that Mitchell and the Cavaliers are in a strong position, and he has shown no signs of wanting to leave the team.

It is expected that Mitchell, who still has a year left on his contract, will wait to sign a new deal, which could make some Cavs fans sweat, given what happened to LeBron James in his early years, but Mitchell is aiming for the best possible deal for him, which is a maximum contract.

If Altman can lock him up quicker, though, then there will be no need for those Cleveland fans to sweat.

Lift the second apron curse

Another huge priority on Altman’s table. The Cavaliers finished last season with one of the loftiest rosters in recent NBA memory, which significantly hampers them.

Being in the second apron of the luxury tax, the Cavs are very limited in their ability to aggregate salaries for trades and with the team virtually unable to do damage in the draft for the next few seasons, they will need to save some money.

One key would be to convince James Harden to decline his player option and sign a cheaper deal that suits Cleveland. Trading guard Dennis Schroder for future picks would also benefit Altman.

Keep Evan Mobley on board

A key piece of Cleveland’s future, the 24-year-old Evan Mobley is still a little rough around the edges, but a talent the Cavs need on their roster.

Keeping him happy will be key as his contract runs through to the 2029-30 season. Improving his offensive ability and having coach Kenny Atkinson get his team to work on his jump shot will make him a strong force within the roster.

There were large patches of the season where Mobley and Mitchell complemented each other flawlessly, and there are signs that he is ready to take the baton for the Cavs if Mitchell is out injured or if he decides to take his talents elsewhere.

If that does happen, then Mobley will be in line to lead Cleveland.