Cavs CEO Says Winning Streak Is Cleveland’s Showcase to the World

The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Boston Celtics in one of the most anticipated regular season games in recent memory Tuesday night. It will be the first time in nearly three decades that a team that started the NBA season with a 15-0 record will play against the defending champions.

It also happens to be an NBA Cup game, a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals and an early opportunity for both teams to establish themselves as the beasts of the East.

Sportico spoke with Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage for an update on the team’s business in recent days, following up on the Nov. 14 story on how the streak has boosted ticket sales and local TV viewership. Barlage discussed the retail success of the new City Edition jersey, which was modeled from the famed Cleveland Museum of Art.

For Barlage, the jerseys as well as the streak have been a prime opportunity for the city to advertise itself. “We have this mantra where we want to showcase Cleveland to the world,” Barlage said in the video interview. “When you have a little bit of a streak like this, it gives you so many unique opportunities to engage, to interact and widen the net of Cavaliers fans not just in northeast Ohio, but across the country and across the world. We’re working tirelessly to make sure we’re making the most of this impact.”

Cleveland is No. 22 on Sportico’s NBA franchise valuations at $3.22 billion.