Ball Don't Lie - NBA

For a sports city that's experienced their fair share of championship droughts, collapses and "curses" — see: The Catch, The Fumble, The Shot, etc. — the Cleveland Cavaliers sure are a confident bunch when it comes to reading tea leaves and printing tickets.

Pictured right: the Cavs' ticket batch for the actual 2009-10 NBA Finals — four games lettered N through Q. (Miss Cleo says, "Cavs sweep Lakers," I guess. So much for playing out this season.)

In case you haven't figured it out, those brave Finals tickets were included in the Cavs' regular season ticket package. And while that might sound terribly cocky to some (Dwight, Garnett, Travis Diener(notes)), Waiting For Next Year has a less jinx-worthy explanation, as well as an idea what to do with 'em:

"... printing the whole batch of tickets now would likely be less expensive than printing, binding and mailing one set now and then doing the same thing come March or April.

However, given what has occurred over the past 40 years, I would not fault any Cleveland fan if they felt any sort of superstitious jinx-like event by merely looking at the tickets. If we are going to embrace this season, however, I say fans (and even the team themselves) should rip that page out right now and hang it up. Give us all a constant reminder of what this season is all about."

Saving on printing and mailing costs makes sense — we are still in a recession, right? — but I'm still worried. According to a second Cavs season ticket holder, the Cavs have included the maximum number of potential playoff tickets in the season ticket booklet for at least the past three seasons.

The number of NBA championships won by the Cavs in the last three years?

Zero.

This is a horrible idea.

Q: Does anyone know of any other teams that include Finals tickets in their season ticket booklet? 

UPDATE: Randball says, "Don't get too excited ... Wolves did that last year." The Wolves! The nerve!

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159 Comments

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  1. Anejy
    1. Posted by Anejy Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:35 pm EDT

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    Now this is a real Joke!
  2. Anejy
    2. Posted by Anejy Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:36 pm EDT

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    i Hope they dont even make a second round... I am saving this article .. i will re-post then. bunch of losers.
  3. Andrew B
    3. Posted by Andrew B Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    I dunno, for how good LeBron was last year, imagine how good he's gonna be with Shaq in the middle, I mean Shaq can still command a double team, which also means even more open threes for Mo Williams, I think the Cavs could be suprisingly dominant this year
  4. djcookies4u
    4. Posted by djcookies4u Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    Lmao! those clowns in Cleveland will be asking for a refund aftyer realizing that shaq's "help a team win-it-all" years are behind him. Is it me...or did Shaq go to a team with Steve Nash AND Amare Stoudemire and still NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS????....Poor Cleveland...Too bad those tickets will be no good as the Magic and Lakers face off again!
  5. Irish
    5. Posted by Irish Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    overrated frauds and the season hasn't even started. Cleveland will always find a way to choke
    GO MAGIC!!!
  6. Morgan
    6. Posted by Morgan Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:08 pm EDT

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    Karma gonna get you
  7. J
    7. Posted by J Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:12 pm EDT

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    They shouldve printed them to rematch them spurs in finals again...only 4 games needed!!
  8. ActionJD
    8. Posted by ActionJD Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:18 pm EDT

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    Is it me or did that team with Amare and Steve Nash played ZERO DEFENSE
  9. cavs and smelltics sux
    9. Posted by cavs and smelltics sux Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    hahahhaha! what a bunch of losers, the Cavs will not make the ECF....cleveland is a city of losers and the cavs are chokers! cant wait for fat shaq to start clogging the middle and missing Fts, Mo williams to disappear again, not to mention lebroom hitting brick after brick.......cavs fans dont count your chickens before they are hatched, thats why u got your ass kicked in may by the Magic
  10. bc4ebay
    10. Posted by bc4ebay Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    Someone please tell me that the haters are joking!! There's nothing wrong or cocky with printing payoffs tickets along with the season's ones. On top of being a constant motivation for both fans and players, it's a brilliant idea marketing and cost saving wise.. Plug your brains in (Like my co-worker would say)..Go WFNY!
  11. The Judge
    11. Posted by The Judge Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    Not just playoff tickets, FINALS TICKETS #10. That makes a huge difference. So you have just managed to light a fire under the Celtics and Magic for a whole year. Everytime they go into their locker rooms they will see the printout of the Finals Tickets that Cleveland has decided to print up. Dumb mistake, and besides, have any of you in Cleveland checked the REAL AGE of Shaq? He might be 36 or 37 in chronological years, but he's about 50 in terms of how is body will break down this year. Another disappointment for the mistake by the lake. I'll bet he won't even play on Christmas day against the Lakers, he'll be out with an injury. Probably Speedo burn.....
  12. Brian N
    12. Posted by Brian N Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:53 pm EDT

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    How does anyone who actually watches basketball think that Shaq will make the Cavs worse? I love big Z but when you keep talking about Shaq being old and slow?? He's definitely not as slow as Z, or Duncan, or Yao.... So all you haters who love to talk crap about Cleveland...watch the Cavs take your team out!! Go CAVS!!!
  13. Anejy
    13. Posted by Anejy Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:56 pm EDT

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    @bc4ebay - That's not motivation.. That's call being over-confident and losing yourself. You think printing final's ticket even before the season started will motivate players? Its a good marketing of' course to get all media attention... saying 'hey look! we are bunch of fools'
  14. Alex
    14. Posted by Alex Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:56 pm EDT

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    Its too bad the cavs will lose in the playofs before they have the chance of being swept by the lakers..... lakers repeat cavs who?
  15. DanielD
    15. Posted by DanielD Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:24 pm EDT

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    Don't ALL teams print all playoff tickets in advance for season ticket holders? I thought that was standard....
  16. DanielD
    16. Posted by DanielD Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:25 pm EDT

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    P.S. I'm a Blazer season ticket holder, and they do the same thing.
  17. Mr Common Sense
    17. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:30 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  18. Mr Common Sense
    18. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:31 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  19. Mr Common Sense
    19. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:31 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  20. Mr Common Sense
    20. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  21. Mr Common Sense
    21. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  22. Mr Common Sense
    22. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  23. Mr Common Sense
    23. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  24. Mr Common Sense
    24. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.
  25. Mr Common Sense
    25. Posted by Mr Common Sense Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:33 pm EDT

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    Lebron over the Rapist anyday.

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