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Today’s Sunday afternoon lesson will have a much greater emphasis on the dark art of Science and less on that of Math.

We’ve had a rough week here in Cleveland. It’s mid-March and there’s still several feet of snow on the ground. College kids from the Mid-American Conference ran roughshod over our offices at The Q. And our beloved Cavaliers dropped two straight – both losses a product of slow starts and foiled comebacks. On Thursday, DeShawn Stevenson called us names.

Some of you have gone into a mini-panic over the mid-week stumble; you’re thinking: “This trade isn’t working. I want Cedric Simmons back.”

Well, that’s too bad! I liked Ced Simmons like a brother, myself, but the reality is that the Bulls aren’t giving him back. The trade is final, the trade is working, and the pieces are coming together. The foundation being laid now is necessary for events that will transpire in June, when the Cavaliers plan to turn this mutha out.

But you don’t have to believe me. Why not rely on pure Science to make you Cavalier fans feel better?

Since it’s almost officially Springtime here in the northern hemisphere, let us equate the Cavaliers’ remaining 16 games of the regular season – (and the 16 victories in the postseason) – to the simple stages of the common butterfly, shall we?

Egg – This phase is simply when the mommy butterfly lays her eggs. This can be done in spring, summer or fall, depending on the species.

The egg phase of the Cavaliers season was actually partially laid overseas in China. It also encompassed the early season West Coast junket, Anderson and Splasha Pavlovic’s contract holdouts and TheBron’s first injury – (and the subsequent losing streak).

It was a tough time for Cavalier fans. The word “fluke” was being thrown around, and it hurt everyone’s feelings.

It’s no fun being an egg.

Caterpillar – It’s way better being a caterpillar – crawling around all chill, eating massive amounts of greens. Caterpillars can grow 100 times their size during this stage, splitting their skin four or five times.

This is also known as the “larva” phase of the butterfly’s life-cycle, and in relation to the Wine and Gold, this was the Cavaliers’ mid-season run – surrounding the All-Star break.

TheBron was – (and continues to be) – completely unstoppable in these winter months, as the Cavaliers went into the houses of heavyweights like San Antonio, Dallas and the L.A. Lakers and emerged victorious. Did these wins mean a lot as far as Eastern Conference Standings? Not really. Not any more than a victory over the lowly Heat.

But they proved to the often-shorthanded Cavaliers that they could win anywhere, anytime.

Pupa – This stage is also called the “chrysalis” stage, but isn’t nearly as fun to say as “pupa.”

This phase could last weeks, months or years. It may look like nothing is going on, but big changes are happening inside the little pupa. Special cells that were present in the larva are now growing rapidly. They will become the legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the adult butterfly.

We are currently in the “chrysalis” segment of the Cavaliers season. There have been injuries and a huge trade and the Cavaliers haven’t exactly been running the table since the All-Star break. They win three, they lose two. The win two, they lose two.

It hasn’t always been pretty – but neither are most pupas.

Tonight’s 101-94 victory over the Bobcats will fall into this stage of the Cavaliers’ metamorphosis. TheBron scores 37 more points, including a dozen in the fourth quarter. Splasha Pavlovic stays strong and his two dunks – combined with Sir Damon Jones three-point marksmanship – prove to be the difference. As a team, Cleveland holds Charlotte to 33 percent shooting in the second half of Sunday’s win.

Wins like these aren’t glamorous or garish, but they’re the building blocks to the postseason run for the roses in late April. Which brings us to our final stage …

Butterfly – The adult or, dare I say, “reproductive stage” of the whole life-cycle is known colloquially as a butterfly.

This is what you live for if you’re a young egg, caterpillar or pupa. You’ve got beautiful wings and your job now is to fly around and mate. Yeah, the butterfly is loving life at this point.

The butterfly phase of the Cavaliers season has yet to happen, and even though I consider myself pretty insightful, I don’t want to start getting too far ahead of myself as far as the Playoffs.

But I do know that the Large Lithuanian – who’s having one of his best seasons as a pro – is coming back. And so is the surprise hero from last year’s postseason run, Daniel Gibson. When they return and the Cavaliers begin to gel, they’ll have the deepest team in the Eastern Conference bracket.

And I also know that TheBron might fly like a butterfly. But he definitely stings like a bee.

And what better reason do you need to …

Choose faith, Cleveland

Your pal,
The Optimist

COME ON, CAVS! ©1975

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