He’s been there since the team’s inception

By Jon Moffett | May 27, 2009 at 12:04a.m.

Cavalier Fan

Boardman resident hopes this is the year the ‘Cleveland curse’ is broken.

BOARDMAN — Nothing can keep Bill Johnson from his beloved Cavaliers. Not even his own wedding.

“We went to a [Cavaliers] playoff game; that’s how we spent our wedding night,” said Kim Johnson, his proud wife of 17 years. And though she, too, is a fan of the Cavaliers, nothing quite matches her husband’s fandom.

“He’s a passionate fan, and when he has a belief, or something he really feels strongly about, he goes all out,” Kim said.

Johnson, 51, and a Boardman resident, has followed the team since its inception in 1970. He attended the Cavaliers’ first home game at the Cleveland Coliseum, a game which the Cavaliers lost. Even though the Cavs lost the game — and 14 others to open the inaugural season — he has fond memories and even a commemorative plaque.

And with his team battling the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, Johnson has dusted off his wine and gold — as well as the old-school blue and orange — gear and hopes this is the year the “Cleveland curse” is broken. And if any team has a chance to bring the city its first major sports championship since 1964, it’s his Cavaliers.

“It’s nice going into the beginning of the year knowing they’re a contender for a title,” Johnson said. “Being a Browns fan, you know you’re not going to contend for anything except for maybe the No. 1 draft pick. But the Cavs, as long as LeBron stays here, will be a contender.”

Even if the NBA championship trophy eludes the Cavaliers this season — Johnson said the team may be “one player away” from being a championship team — it will always compete thanks to the Cavs’ star forward LeBron James. With King James at the helm, Johnson said the Cavs should win “three or four” titles within the next six seasons.

“I think he’s the best player, so far, who has ever played the game,” Johnson said emphatically. “He can play just about any position on the floor. Defensively, I think he’s just as good as anyone in the league, and he passes just as well as anyone in the league. I just don’t see any weakness in his game.”

That’s high praise for James, considering Johnson has seen the likes of Julius Erving and Michael Jordan play. He said James is “just as good” as the two Hall of Famers, “if not better.”

He added that James raises the bar for everyone on the floor with his talent.

“He’s that rare player who raises everybody else’s game because he commands so much attention. When he drives to the basket, the other team practically collapses on him, leaving his teammates with open looks.”

Johnson shows his love for James and the Cavaliers with a number of jerseys, posters, framed season tickets, cards and other memorabilia of current and former Cavaliers displayed in his home. Though Mark Price was his favorite Cavalier, Johnson often dons a James jersey.

But even without James, Johnson would continue to be a fan of the Cavs. Since basketball is his favorite sport, he’ll continue to cheer for the Cavs no matter what.

Unless they — like the Browns in 1995 — are relocated.

“I probably am no longer a basketball fan if there’s no Cleveland team,” he said.

That type of heartache wouldn’t exactly surprise Johnson, who has seen his share of disappointment as a Cleveland sports fan. He remembers vividly “The Shot” which put Jordan’s Chicago Bulls over the Cavs in the first round of the 1989 playoffs — a game Johnson watched live.

“The entire Coliseum went silent; it was eerie,” Johnson said. “It was almost like someone had died.”

But Johnson is hopeful he’ll accomplish his life goal of seeing a championship come to Cleveland.

“I was barely alive when the Browns won the last championship,” Johnson said. “I’ve always said when I see that championship in Cleveland, my life will be complete.”

jmoffett@vindy.com