When I first met former Cavs owner Nick Mileti – Terry Pluto.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – I first met Nick Mileti in 1970. I was a sophomore at Benedictine. My father took me to a Cavs game at the old Cleveland Arena.
We were coming from the concourse through a tunnel to our seats. As we stepped into the aisle, there was a little guy with a huge smile. The long-haired Mileti often wore bell-bottom pants as part of his hip, 1970s persona.
“Hi, I’m Nick Mileti,” he said, shaking my father’s hand.
“He’s the owner of the Cavs,” my father said to me.
Mileti asked my name, shook my hand and then thanked us for coming to the game.
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Mileti was working the room, and it didn’t take long. The Cavs averaged 3,518 fans in that 1970-71 season, the fewest in the NBA. The Cavs padded attendance figures to reach that total of 3,518. Some nights, there were fewer than 1,000 fans actually in the seats.
The old arena was dark, smelled of stale beer and smoke hung just below the ceiling. Yes, this was when you could smoke almost anywhere, including in your seat during a Cavs game. Looking back on that first season, it’s amazing the Cavs are still here.
“I used to wonder if the team would fold during the season,” Joe Tait told me. “Then I thought, maybe we’ll survive the season … but I’m not sure about next year.”
The Cavs had a 15-67 record in their first season. It didn’t matter to me. I was excited about the NBA being in Cleveland. Mileti had run a contest in the Plain Dealer, asking fans to submit a nickname. I know I sent in something, It wasn’t the “Cavaliers,” the eventual winner.
The Plain Dealer ran another contest, this time with the five names. I believe I voted for The Towers. The Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland … basketball players are tall … The Towers sounded good to me.
More than 11,000 people voted. Mileti later admitted he didn’t look at all the names or count the votes. He liked the Cavaliers. He owned the team. He picked it.
