There was a lot of gossip over how the scorned Clevelanders will greet the man who had been their heartthrob for the last seven years. It was James first game in Cleveland after his infamous departure from the club and the Cavaliers
had been waiting for more than five months to exact some revenge upon him.
Jeers and boos were the order of the night as James came hopping out of the tunnel into the electrically charged atmosphere surrounded by a barricade of security personnel.
Welcome or not, LeBron aka King James showed to the world why he is the best there is. He let his actions do all the talking as he bombarded 38 points, 8 assist and 5 rebounds to marshal the Miami Heat to a crushing 118-90 victory
over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First Quarter
The match that promised to be an extravaganza did not live up to its expectations as the Miami Heats after faltering in the initial few minutes tightened the noose around the Cavaliers.
Cleveland led by five with 4:31 left till the buzzer, but that was the last time they saw the lead as the Heats reeled off a 16 point unanswered spurt, James scoring half of them, to pull away with a 28-17 lead.
Second Quarter
Leading by 31-23, Chris Bosh opened the second quarter for Miami with a jump shot as they continued to step up the pressure. The Heats initiated two 7-0 surges, one midway and other at the end of the period, as they attacked the
Cleveland net from all quarters to hold an 59-40 advantage at the halftime mark.
Third Quarter
James scored 14 points in the first half and he was in a relentless mood going into the second. He launched a brutal assault on a feeble Cavalier’s defense, completely outsmarting them, to score 22 points with a 10-for 12 shooting.
With the scores at 71-48, four minutes into the third quarter, James pulled in a jumper to start a 17-2 rot and capped it with a free throw as he carried Miami to a 88-50 advantage and took the match completely away from Cleveland.
Fourth Quarter
With the match effectively over, the chants in the arena were also subdued. James sat out the last quarter as Erik Spoelstra brought on his reserves. The period proved to be a mere procession as the Heats held on to their advantage
to dump the Cavaliers big time.
Match Stats
LeBron James not only pulled off his best performance this season but he also set a precedent for things to come, as for the first time this season, the Heats showcased a combination of high speed offense and complemented it with
robust defense.
Miami shot at an impressive 56.6 percent and out-rebounded their opponents 43-35. Dwyane Wade had 22 points and narrowly missed a triple-double as he chipped in with 9 assists and 9 boards. James Jones came off the bench to score
18 points including 5 for 7 from downtown while Chris Bosh had 15.
Daniel Gibson scored 21 for the Cavaliers, who have now lost six of the last eight, making it 7-11 for the season and now play seven of their next eight on the road.
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