Portland Trail Blazer Robin Lopez gets “got” by Cavs mascot Moondog

Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez has been terrorizing mascots throughout the NBA all season. But when he made a declaration of war against Cleveland’s own costumed ambassador to the public, Cavaliers mascot Moondog wasn’t going to take it lying down.

Lopez has achieved a sort of infamy from his penchant for harassing NBA mascots. Mike Richman of The Oregonian detailed Lopez’s sordid history with some of the league’s felt-covered friends.

[Lopez has] already declared his intent to destroy Houston’s “Clutch” and later attacked Pistons’ “Hooper” in a back hallway in Detroit. Last season, Lopez shoved Stuff the Magic Dragon in Orlando and expressed his distaste for Toronto’s mascot, Raptor, in an interview with Willamette week.

Robin Lopez’s dastardly attack on Moondog appears to have been indirectly instigated by none other than Grantland’s Zach Lowe. With the Winter Snowstorm of the Century 2015 looming over the Northeast, there was a possibility that the NBA would postpone Monday night’s games in New York. (They ultimately did.) Lowe feigned frustration at the potential missed opportunity to challenge Lopez over his reprehensible treatment of mascots, barely able to mask his true feelings: unabashed glee over Lopez’s unchecked aggression on mascots.

Gonna be pissed if Blazers-Nets is off. Had planned to confront @rolopez42 on his chronic mascot abuse. He must be publicly shamed.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) January 26, 2015

Lopez took Lowe’s mock disapproval as an opportunity to reveal that his next target would be none other than Moondog, the beloved (by those nine and under) mascot of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lopez’s Trail Blazers visit Cleveland on Wednesday night.

@ZachLowe_NBA It's a sign from above, I'm on a mission from God like Jake and Elwood. Moving on to @CavsMoondog#NoComeuppance

— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) January 26, 2015

Lopez’s sinister threat against one of Cleveland’s own was despicable enough, but to invoke the Blues Brothers to justify his crusade against the Cavs mascot? That was unforgivable. Moondog valiantly struck back, ruthlessly using the success of Robin’s twin brother Brook Lopez against him while throwing in an obscure Ed Mikan reference for good measure.

No offense @rolopez42, but I only feud with the more high profile of twin brothers. No one remembers the mascot fights with Ed Mikan.

— Moondog (@CavsMoondog) January 26, 2015

The back-and-forth continued between Lopez and Moondog. Lopez attempted to rub Moondog’s nose in his own comment, but Lopez underestimated the wit of a 6 foot-tall dog that can be trained to both urinate on a newspaper and dunk a basketball.

@CavsMoondog Yeah but people are going to remember what I do to you for years. I dedicate this to all us Ed Mikans out there. #EdMikan4Ever

— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) January 26, 2015

Dear @rolopez42,

I refuse to make you famous.

Your hero,@CavsMoondog

— Moondog (@CavsMoondog) January 26, 2015

[Mic drop.] And with that, Moondog clinched the first battle between these two worthy foes. To his credit, Lopez, despite his ill-repute and his inexplicable hatred of mascots, admitted the defeat, specifically that he had “got got.”

I…I think I just got got by @CavsMoondog…Is this how Jay-Z felt after Ether…? #JayAndIHaveALotInCommon

— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) January 26, 2015

@CavsMoondog …you win this round…

— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) January 26, 2015

Had Robin Lopez been following Moondog on Twitter before he initiated Monday’s feud, he should have known that Moondog is a force to be reckoned with, not just some former marketing major working for the Cavs that fit into the costume. In the past few weeks alone, Moondog proposed a simple solution to the Patriots deflated ball scandal, astutely pointed out that the Cavs are 25-0 when outscoring their opponents, photobombed (and seemingly frightened the pants off of) Urban Meyer, kinda sorta hit on a Cavalier girl named Tiffany, and even graciously took the rap for the Cavs recent bout of losing.

That’s fair. RT @WFNYBen: @sportsyelling I put more blame on the players & the folks running the team. also @CavsMoondog, screw that guy

— Moondog (@CavsMoondog) January 12, 2015

So why on earth is the Cavs (primary) mascot a dog, anyway? Well, besides their loyalty and undying affection, dogs are awesome. Moondog probably helps the Cavalier players meet girls. Just imagine how many hearts JR Smith and Moondog would fetch during an afternoon in the park once spring comes. Also, there’s a strangely appropriate reason that has to do with the City of Cleveland, explained on the “Cleveland Cavaliers” Wikipedia page and pointed out by Reddit user helpwanted1.

Like a growing number of NBA Mascots, the character has a unique connection not just to the team, but to the city and surrounding area. Cleveland is known worldwide as the rock and roll city, due to famed Cleveland radio disc jockey Alan Freed, who popularized the phrase “rock and roll”, breaking new ground and sparking a music explosion.

Freed called himself the “Moondog“, and his listeners were “Moondoggers”. When the Cavaliers looked to create a new mascot which represents the city, Moondog was a natural selection. Like Alan Freed, the mascot aims to be innovative, fun-loving, passionate and controversial.

So, no, Moondog isn’t some four-legged cuddly animal lazily pegged as the Cavs mascot only because he’s an adorable dog that’s presumptively from outer space. Moondog is the Cavs mascot because of a genuine and surprisingly fascinating connection to legendary disc jockey Alan Freed, who embodied Cleveland and is often credited with first recognizing the cultural significance of rock and roll—and also because he’s an adorable dog from outer space (again, an assumption). Someone should write an origin story for Moondog, á la Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight for an NBA mascot instead of Batman. Because Moondog is the hero that Cleveland deserves and needs right now.

While the Cavs take on the Pistons in Detroit on Tuesday night, Wednesday night’s game now has added significance due to the beef between Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez and Cavaliers mascot Moondog. There’s no telling how it will play out, but one thing is certain: between Lopez’s hair and Moondog’s shiny winter coat, fur will fly.