CLEVELAND (AP) - He tuned out the boos. He smiled at the
derisive chants. He embraced all the negativity Cleveland could
muster.
LeBron James wasn't fazed by anything.
He brought his talents back home and reminded everyone - even
the haters - why he's missed.
Returning as a villain to his native state and the city he
scorned this summer, James scored 38 points - 24 in a virtuoso
third-quarter performance - to lead the Miami Heat to a 118-90 win
on Thursday night, turning his hostile homecoming into another
embarrassing moment for the Cavaliers.
By halftime, James was the one having fun. By the fourth
quarter, he was watching from the bench as Cavs fans headed into
the cold for a disappointing drive home.
This wasn't the payback they waited five months to inflict.
James simply wouldn't allow it.
"I know this court. I've made a lot of shots on this court,"
he said.
As he did so many times during seven seasons for the Cavs, the
two-time defending league MVP did anything he wanted on the floor.
In the third quarter, he made 10-of-12 shots, jumpers from every
angle and taunted Cleveland's bench after draining a seemingly
impossible baseline jumper.
With security guards forming a human barricade to line his
entrance, James came hopping out of the tunnel and into the
electrically charged atmosphere inside Quicken Loans Arena, as more
than 20,000 fans, the same ones who once adored him, turned their
fury on James.
It was rowdy, but thankfully, not violent.
Just in case, Moondog, the Cavs' fuzzy mascot, wore a
bulletproof vest.
Booed every time he touched the ball, James scored 14 points in
the first half as the Heat opened a 59-40 lead, and threatened to
turn the highly anticipated game into a blowout.
He quickly made certain of one.
Miami outscored Cleveland 36-25 in the third to open a 95-65
lead, prompting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to pull his superstar.
James spent the final 12 minutes as a spectator, glancing at the
scoreboard and into the stands at so many familiar faces.
Las Vegas placed odds on whether James would perform his pregame
powder toss ritual at the scorer's table. He went through with it,
leaving a cloud of dust above his head - a gesture fans here used
to embrace but can't stomach any longer.
Security was super tight.
One fan was immediately ejected after he pointed at James and
screamed in the superstar's face before tip-off. The Cavaliers
promised to safeguard James, who crushed them summer when he
decided to leave as a free agent and join Dwyane Wade and Chris
Bosh in Miami.
As the Akron native took pregame layups, Cleveland fans vented,
some holding up signs that read "Akron Hates You Too," "Merry
Quitness," "The Decision: Stay or Betray" and "Remember Game
5," a reference to his final home game with the Cavs, when he went
just 3 of 14 and scored 15 in a lopsided loss to Boston in last
season's Eastern Conference semifinals.
James was the first player introduced, and as he lined up for
the national anthem, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert was shown on the
arena's giant scoreboard, drawing a raucous ovation. In the hours
after James' infamous announcement on a one-hour TV special dubbed
"The Decision," Gilbert ripped him in an open letter to Cavs fans
and later accused the 25-year-old of quitting during the playoffs
the past two seasons.
James looked up and noticed the ovation was for Gilbert. He
shook his head, tapped his feet and turned to his new teammates,
pumping his fist as he told them something.
One of the TV cameras remained fixed on Gilbert, a "Dan Cam"
hoping to catch the owner in an animated moment.
Before the anthem, the Cavs paraded out some other local sports
stars, including former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar,
dreadlocked wide receiver Joshua Cribbs, Indians slugger Travis
Hafner, and comedian Drew Carey - all wearing the wine-and-gold
uniform James helped make famous.
He was Cleveland's biggest star, and a savior for a city still
stuck in a downward economic spiral. His decision to leave left an
indelible mark on Cavs fans, who burned his jersey and flung rocks
at the giant mural with his iconic image that hung from a downtown
building.
James made his first trip to the foul line with 3:35 left in the
first quarter. It used to be a time when he would be serenaded with
the requisite "M-V-P" song, but this time it was different as the
crowd broke into a chant of "Akron Hates You!"
After making his first shot, James chuckled and smiled broadly
as fans continued to try and rattle him.
Before tip-off, James was segregated from his Heat teammates in
a locker room he had only used as a high schooler. Two security
officers and a media relations member kept reporters at bay as
James dressed. Bouncing his head to the beat, James rapped along
with music on his portable stereo before putting on his headphones.
He briefly closed his eyes, and folded his hands as if in prayer.
Across the room, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who followed James to
Miami, held court with reporters interested in hearing about his
return. The beloved big man known simply as "Z," Ilgauskas, the
Cavs' career leader in rebounds and games played, was wrestling
with his own emotions.
"I had a great time here," said Ilgauskas, drafted by the Cavs
in 1996. "I miss people and I miss my friends. I don't miss the
weather. ... It's home."
At 5:33 p.m., and five months after his famous announcement,
James stepped back inside the building where he had his greatest
triumphs for the first time as the enemy. After his bags were
examined at a security checkpoint, James, wearing oversized
glasses, a black stocking cap and leather jacket with the phrase:
"Time To Roll" across the back, didn't say a word as he walked
toward Miami's locker room.
James saluted an arena security guard before ducking inside and
preparing for what was expected to be a hostile homecoming for the
Akron native.
In the hours leading up to tip-off, everyone offered an opinion
on what James was about to experience. Even the nation's
highest-rated basketball player got involved. President Barack
Obama added to the drama with a short, simple, and not-so-sweet
description:
"It's going to be brutal."
That, from a guy who had just gotten 12 stitches removed after
getting his lip split open in a rough pickup game.
The day began with Cavs guard Mo Williams taking a subtle swipe
at his former friend and ex-teammate. An avid Atlanta Braves
supporter, he sported a Boston Red Sox jacket following the team's
morning shootaround, maybe an early indication of what James, a
die-hard New York Yankees fan, would expect for his first game in
Cleveland as a visitor.
"It's almost like your ex-girlfriend coming to your wedding,"
Williams said.
The Heat kept to themselves during the day, staying back at
their hotel. But following a walkthrough with his teammates, James
delayed his traditional game-day nap to meet with one of his
business partners in the lounge of the Ritz-Carlton.
Once the meeting ended, James headed for the elevator and was
asked if he was ready for whatever Cleveland's fans were about to
unleash.
"Yes sir," he replied. "I will be. I will be."
He was.
