BOSTON -- As the clock hit triple zero in Game 7 of Sunday's NBA Finals and the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed a 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors, Travis Shaw was in shock.
Growing up in Ohio as a diehard Cleveland sports fan, the Red Sox's third baseman had learned to live with disappointment. It had been 52 years since Cleveland's last championship.
"Finally. Cleveland has waited a long time. A lot of heartbreak has happened in the city, and the city deserves it. It was a great series. LeBron [James] did what he said he was going to do," Shaw said. "I was speechless. Everyone was. It finally happened."
Walking out of the Red Sox's clubhouse after Sunday's game against the Mariners, Shaw sported a Believeland shirt. He kept that same shirt on while watching the game later that night at his house.
As Shaw watched James' emotional interview on the sidelines after the win, his phone lit up with calls and texts from friends and family, excited about the newly crowned champions.
"I got goosebumps when he was giving that speech after the game. You could tell that all that emotion last night was real," Shaw said. "You don't really get it unless you are from Cleveland."
Once the game ended, Shaw couldn't go to sleep. He stayed up until 2 a.m. ET, thinking "Is this real?"
"Last night was setting up for as Cleveland as it gets," Shaw said. "All that hype and then the letdown. Not this time."