LeBron aka King James has absolutely no idea what’s in store for him as he returns to the very same venue he ditched, giving way to his aspirations for a league title with the Miami Heat.
“Taking my talents to South Beach.” He said at 9:27 p.m. on the 8th
of July, as he disappointed many at Cleveland, and witnessed his jersey being burnt on the very same night by incensed Cavaliers fans.
This is the first time the two time reigning MVP visits the club where he became the superstar he is today, a franchise, which provided him the opportunity to showcase his talent and agility and a venue, that worshipped him for
seven years as he matured from a boy to man. The very place he left to seek his personal glories.
It was not his departure that hurt the Clevelanders the most rather it was the manner of his exit and the Clevelanders have been waiting for three month not to welcome him as he arrives for a 20 hour stay.
And James knows it will be a tough going for him.
“It’s going to be tough, but I’m there to win a basketball game,” James said after Tuesday’s Heat practice and preparing for Wednesday’s game against Detroit. “I understand. I understand how passionate fans are about sports. I’m
ready for whatever response that I’m going to get. It’s going to be very emotional.”
If only earlier he would have known better.
James was roped in as the No-1 draft pick of the year in 2003 and Cleveland soared to new height in his era. Cleveland won 349 games during the seven seasons James was in their ranks and marshaled them to their only trip ever to
the NBA Finals in 2007, which they eventually lost to the San Antonio Spurs. He parted ways with the club holding the franchise’s record for scoring, field goals made, free throws scored, attempted steals, triple doubles and minutes played.
Miami Heat guard, Dwyane Wade who is perhaps James’s best buddy in the league supported his embattled team mate and stressed the need to focus on his game and winning.
"The only thing I would say to him is to not go out there and try to score 100 points," Wade said. "We've got to win”.
Chris Bosh another player who has left his former club, the Toronto Raptors, to join the Heats this season also came out in support of James and questioned the hostile attitude of the Cleveland loyal while also pointing that he
will benefit from his short stay in Cleveland.
"That's definitely something we've been talking about," Bosh said. "I think we all watched TV, and I think they took it quite hard when he left. So some people -- I don't know why -- but in sports, some people take it personal.
"Sometimes when you have an extra day to hang around, it's no telling what -- you want to feel safer," Bosh added. "That's not to speak for the whole city of Cleveland. But just like in every city, I'm sure it's people that have
malcontent on their mind. With the fact that we're going in on the second night of a back-to-back, that lets us not have as much downtime. Just get in, play our game and get out of there."
Fearing a backlash Heat and the NBA have already beefed up the security for James and the Miami team during their stay. The Cavalier’s owner Dan Gilbert, while stressing that he does not foresee any trouble brewing in Thursday
night’s game, said extra measures will be taken to ensure that James is secure as he returns to Quicken Loans Arena.
"You don't want to see anything stupid happen," Gilbert said at halftime of Cleveland's game Tuesday night against Boston. "I don't want to see anybody do something they shouldn't do, whether it was Thursday night or any night.
I'm sure a lot of them will make their feelings known, but as long as everybody plays by the rules and doesn't go over the top, everything will be fine.
"I really believe that Cleveland people will do the right thing."
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