NBA: Road to glory

The NBA world was shaken after the announcement—Franklin Lincoln had just made history.

At 19 years old, he became the youngest MVP in NBA history, taking the award previously held by Derrick Rose (22). Not only that, but he also won Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), Rookie of the Year (ROTY), and made both First-Team All-NBA and First-Team All-Defense.

On ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith was in disbelief.

-Cavaliers' Front Office POV

The Cavaliers' front office was in complete chaos. The morning after the MVP and DPOY announcement, the team executives, scouts, and coaches sat in a tense meeting at their practice facility in Independence, Ohio. The atmosphere was heavy, the air thick with regret and frustration.

At the head of the long conference table sat Cavs GM Chris Grant, his fingers tapping aggressively against the polished wood. His face was a mix of exhaustion and anger.

He finally slammed his hand on the table, silencing the murmurs in the room.

Chris Grant (GM): "Alright, enough of this shit! Let's address the elephant in the goddamn room—WE SCREWED UP. WE HAD THE 1 PICK, AND WE TOOK ANTHONY BENNETT OVER FRANKLIN LINCOLN. AND NOW? NOW WE LOOK LIKE IDIOTS."

Nobody spoke. Everyone knew the gravity of their mistake. Franklin Lincoln had just made NBA history, while Anthony Bennett… well, he was struggling to even stay in the rotation.

Chris turned his furious gaze to the head of scouting, who was sweating bullets.

Chris Grant: "YOU told me Franklin wasn't him. YOU told me Anthony Bennett had 'superstar potential'—where the hell is it?! WHERE?!"

The scouting director stammered.

Scouting Director: "L-look, Chris, I—uh—I was just following reports based on our analysis—"

Chris Grant: "Analysis? ANALYSIS?! You're telling me our 'analysis' told us to take a guy who's averaging 4points per game over the youngest MVP in NBA history?!"

The owner of the Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, leaned forward, rubbing his chin. His patience was wearing thin.

Dan Gilbert (Cavs Owner): "We need to take responsibility here. This isn't just a mistake—this is franchise-altering. We just let a once-in-a-generation player walk away. I wanna know exactly who was behind this decision."

A long, awkward silence filled the room. Some of the scouting team avoided eye contact. A few of the assistant GMs shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Chris turned to the coaching staff.

Chris Grant: "Mike, be honest—if we had drafted Franklin, how much better would we be right now?"

The head coach, Mike Brown, hesitated for a moment before answering.

Mike Brown: "Chris… we'd be a top team in the East. Maybe THE top team, with Kyrie and Him."

The room went completely silent.

Chris exhaled deeply, his anger now mixed with disappointment.

Chris Grant: "That's what I thought."

He took a sip from his coffee, then leaned forward with an ice-cold stare.

Chris Grant: "Here's what's gonna happen. I want a FULL overhaul of this scouting department. Heads are gonna roll. I want resignations on my desk by the end of the week. I also want a full report on how the hell we missed on this kid. I don't care how long it takes—figure it out."

The scouting director gulped, knowing his days were numbered.

Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought. He then looked at Chris.

Dan Gilbert: "We need to make things right. This offseason, we need to go ALL IN. I don't care what it takes—we're getting LeBron back."

Chris Grant nodded.

Chris Grant: "That's our only chance of fixing this mess."

As the meeting ended, the entire Cavaliers organization felt the weight of their failure. 

-May 9, 2014- Franklin's pov

After an unforgettable night celebrating with my family, teammates, and close friends, I woke up the next morning with a sense of fulfillment—but also with a fire still burning inside me.

I wanted a championship.

The flight back to Orlando was smooth. The whole team was in high spirits, but there was also a level of focus—we were four wins away from the Conference Finals.

As soon as we landed, the coaching staff called for a team meeting at our practice facility. We needed to lock in because the Toronto Raptors had just won their series against the Washington Wizards and would be our next opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Coach Vogel stood in front of us, holding a clipboard with the Raptors' roster breakdown.

"Alright, fellas. Next up—Toronto. They just took out Washington in six games. They're hungry, they're physical, and they're coming for us."

He started running through their key players.

Coach turned to me.

"Franklin, you'll be matched up with Amir Johnson and Patterson at times, but expect switches onto DeRozan and even Lowry. You shut them down."

I nodded. "They can't guard me, Coach. And I'm locking them up too."

The room erupted in some light laughter, but everyone knew I meant every word.

-Game 1 

The Amway Center was rocking as we took the floor. Toronto, led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, had some fight in them, but we came out with too much intensity.

I set the tone early, attacking the rim on back-to-back possessions, throwing down a vicious dunk over Jonas Valančiūnas.

Defensively, we swarmed DeRozan. He still got buckets, but we made sure he had to work for every single one.

By the fourth quarter, the game was out of reach. I finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists, leading us to a victory, 112-95.

-Game 2

Toronto came into Game 2 trying to be more physical, but that played right into our hands. I took three charges in the first half alone, frustrating Lowry. Our defense was on another level—we forced 18 turnovers and held the Raptors to just 87 points.

Offensively, I focused on facilitating more, racking up 12 assists to go with my 24 points and 11 rebounds. Final score: 104-87.

We were up 2-0 and heading to Toronto with all the momentum.

-Game 3

The Raptors were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole, and they came out swinging in Game 3. DeRozan dropped 17 points in the first half.

At halftime, we were down by 8, and Coach was heated in the locker room.

Coach: "They want it more than you right now. That's unacceptable! Championship teams don't take their foot off the gas!"

That was all I needed to hear.

I came out in the third quarter on fire—hitting a deep three, then driving past Amir Johnson for an and-1 dunk. I scored 12 points in the quarter, and by the time the fourth rolled around, we had taken control again.

Final score: 108-101, Magic win.

-Game 4 

With the sweep on the line, we weren't about to let Toronto breathe. From the opening tip, we dominated, pushing the pace and never letting up.

By the time the fourth quarter started, Raptors fans were already heading for the exits. We closed them out with a 117-92 victory.

We were now 8-0 in the playoffs, playing at an elite level. But we knew the real challenge was still ahead.

Our next opponent?

The Miami Heat.