CLEVELAND — Tens of thousands of people are expected to make their way to downtown Cleveland this Memorial Day weekend, with the Cavaliers the big headliner.
Monday was the calm before the next wave.
Cleveland police say they don’t take for granted the successes they’ve had over the past 15 to 20 years with massive crowds.
"Our plan is always to prepare for the larger crowds, so if that means folks from New York are coming down, we want to keep them safe as well,” Cleveland police Sgt. Freddy Diaz said.
Cavs fans returned to Cleveland around 2 a.m. Monday, fresh off a win in Detroit.
“It was unbelievable,” fan Gary Heldt said.
The fans are resting up for what comes next.
“I’m ready, I’m ready for the next round,” Heldt said.
Taylor Heben bartends at the Map Room on West 9th Street. She’s seen quite a few crowds over the last 10 years.
"Oh, it’s going to be like seven deep,” Heben said.
Downtown Cleveland President and CEO Michael Deemer says Cleveland has become accustomed to handling the masses.
"We have Reggae at Voinovich Park, we have MMA at the stadium, we have all kinds of things going on at Playhouse Square, we have Bruce Springsteen on Friday night, we have Paul McCartney’s exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Deemer said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have two Eastern Conference Finals home games on Saturday and Monday, with a free outdoor fan fest on Gateway Plaza.
"It begins with safety, and we’ve got a terrific partnership with the Cleveland Division of Police. And the Bibb administration,” Deemer said.
Diaz says that, along with officers inside Rocket Arena, they’ll have officers positioned in other locations.
"We placed our officers based on where the most need is, where they can be strategically able to see any potential threats, potential issues, and hopefully deter them prior to them happening,” Diaz said.
Heben knows something big is coming when the owner makes large food and drink orders.
"It’s going to be busy, we’re going to be running and running and stocking, and we’re excited, we know we are just as excited as everybody else. I think it just makes us pumped and ready to go,” Heben said.
No matter how much her feet will hurt.
"Exactly, at the end, it’s worth it,” Heben said.
