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Talk about the shoe, presumably a Nike, on the other foot.
Thursday night marked one of the most highly-anticipated NBA regular season matchups in recent, or distant, memory. LeBron James, once the darling of the Cleveland faithful, playing in his old stomping grounds at the Q, only this time reincarnated as the devil wearing a Miami uniform. That same Cleveland faithful turned out on this night in droves to jeer on LeBron, a man justly perceived to have quit and betrayed his team and the city he called home for seven seasons before taking his talents to South Beach.
Only last night, in their 118-90 blowout loss to King James and the Heat, it was the Cavaliers – not LeBron – who quit on Cleveland, in one of the most embarrassing and disappointing performances ever witnessed.
Angry Fans Voiced Their Displeasure
Angry Fans Voiced Their Displeasure
Cleveland Still Can’t Catch A Break
Watching ESPN’s Around the Horn in the late afternoon leading up to the contest, I was baffled that 3 of the 4 sports writers actually predicted Cleveland to win the game. They all claimed that the hometown energy, combined with the incessant booing and name-calling, would be too much for even LeBron to take.
Seriously, fellas? You couldn’t see this one coming? I mean, this is CLEVELAND we’re talkin’ about here, the city that can’t seem to ever catch a break.
Heading into Thursday night’s contest, most of the conversation revolved around two potential outcomes in James’ return, namely, would LeBron choke in the face of all of the adversity or would he be able to rise above it?
As it turned out, nobody could have predicted what ultimately transpired. It was the Cavaliers themselves who betrayed their hometown fans, by rolling over and playing dead in the blowout loss.
When The Dust Settled, James Had The Last Laugh
The Cavaliers Made LeBron Feel ‘Right At Home’
Rather than stand up and defend the honour of their angry, heartbroken fans, the Cavs players did the exact opposite. They were frequently caught on-camera hugging, fraternizing and laughing along with LeBron on the sideline after timeouts, while basically never laying a finger on him as he jawed with and punked his ex-mates to the tune of a season-high 38 points (in only 3 quarters!). This is the same group who were basically told by LeBron, “You guys stink, I’m leaving”, just before he signed his mega-deal to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
What the hell did Head Coach Byron Scott say to his players pregame anyway? One would have thought they’d treat LeBron like the enemy on this night, taking at least some pride in an attempt to deliver revenge against James. But rather than stand up and fight for what’s right, these cowards ultimately abetted LeBron by helping make him feel ‘right at home’ – a great disservice to themselves and their loyal fans.
Former Teammate Gibson Upset By LeBron’s Actions
In an interview Friday with the Associated Press, One Cavalier player, Daniel Gibson, took exception with the actions of his ex-teammate. ”Some things went on last night,” Gibson said, “that I didn’t like.”
Gibson also didn’t agree with the perception out there that the Cavs were too friendly towards LeBron. “I’ve heard that, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way,” Gibson said. “We all know LeBron and we all know that he enjoys being in front of the camera. To say we were fraternizing and being friendly … nobody knows what was said and the things that were said probably could not be repeated right now. We wanted to win the game and those guys brought it to us.” Did they ever.
To a city still reeling from the knockout punch delivered by last summer’s departure by LeBron, the Cavs’ pitiful performance in his return only added insult to injury to the city of Cleveland, while rubbing even more salt in the wound.
If I were a Cavaliers fan, I’d consider quitting too.
