In case anyone has forgotten - and here they haven't - this is the city whose Browns gave up a 98-yard touchdown drive in January 1987 when they were five minutes from making the Super Bowl — and the next year fumbled at the goal line when they were about to send the AFC Championship Game into overtime.

This is the city whose Indians coughed up the lead in the ninth inning of Game 7 when they were three outs from winning the 1997 World Series.

And where Michael Jordan put in a desperation prayer with a defender close enough to inspect his retina when the Cavaliers were seconds from winning a playoff series in 1989.

This is where the old Browns never made it to the Super Bowl, bolted town, became the Baltimore Ravens, and won the Lombardi Trophy. The new Browns were created and they've never made it, either.

This is where the Indians once won 111 games in a season but were swept in the World Series.

This is where Jim Brown was an immortal running back, but left football early to become an actor.

This is where the last NFL championship was in 1964 and the last baseball title was 1948, and the last NBA title was never. And the only happy endings lately have been in the "Major League" movies.

We mention all this to suggest that Fate owes Cleveland.

True, the Cavaliers would be better off Tuesday night when the NBA Finals resume if Fate could hit a jump shot and guard Tony Parker.

We are about to find out if this is going to be a series or a shellacking. Two games in San Antonio meant two Spurs wins, and two games in which they led by 18 and 29, late rallies that made the box scores look better notwithstanding.

But the cliche is true: A series never really starts until the home team loses. So it's not as over as the horn honkers in the streets of downtown San Antonio late Sunday night might have imagined.

"We want them to think that," Cleveland's Daniel Gibson said.

And the most curious number in this match is the 30-point average San Antonio has allowed the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter this season. "We can't allow ourselves to do that in Cleveland," Manu Ginobili said, "because they're going to kill us."

Quicken Loans Arena should sound like a shuttle launch Tuesday, and you can understand why. Cleveland sees moments like this as often as it sees palm trees. Even the Spurs know what is coming.

"I think the place will be rocking," coach Gregg Popovich mentioned.

"We understand," Tim Duncan concurred, "that we're going into hostile territory."

LeBron James, in fact, issued instructions to the faithful Sunday night.

"It's going to be electrifying. If you're not there, I expect you to try to get there."

So he'll be happy to handle all ticket requests?

"No."

Given its painful past, Cleveland ought to at least get a happy night or two in this series, even if the math now works very much against the Cavaliers. To win the championship, they will have to beat the Spurs four out of five games. Not likely. But maybe they can make some trouble.

Coach Mike Brown presented an impassioned laundry list of his team's shortcomings after Game 2 — too little aggression, focus, defense, poise and, at the beginning, worried too much about scoring.

"There are a lot of other things you can do in the game of basketball ... and that goes for everybody in that starting lineup.

"I don't have anything magical. I'm not that smart. I wish I was. I wish I had something to give them. We've just got to dig within."

If not, Fate can't help them, in Cleveland's big moment.