If the early interest in tickets is any indication, Cleveland seems ready for a WNBA team again. Nic Barlage, the CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, which owns the new franchise and the Cavaliers, said they already had more than 3,100 season ticket deposits as of Wednesday morning.

Sophie Cunningham was the center of controversy over comments about the WNBA’s expansion to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, and, on Thursday, she attempted to clarify her message ahead of the Fever’s win over the Aces.

We interrupt this boring page of an old playbook — Miami over Cleveland, revolutionary idea — to bring you a silver lining: Cunningham’s Cleveland potshot will hasten the new franchise’s rise, even if it hurts fans’ feelings today.