Less venom expected for James at Q
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Trapped in an arena where venom and disgust filled nearly all 20,000 seats, LeBron James survived. He handled the boos, the “Akron hates you” chants, the obscene taunts coming at him from every direction, from fans he considered family.
At his homecoming, James was an outcast.
He’s returning again tonight, and nearly four months since his last visit, the Miami superstar isn’t expecting as much outward hostility.
“Can’t get no worse than it was Dec. 2nd,” James said. “I know that for a fact.”
The hype and the hate aren’t as high this time.
Things have changed dramatically since James last played in Cleveland, the city he spurned last summer as a free agent.
Back in December, the Cavaliers were 7-10 and their fans were still frothing at the first chance to publicly vilify James for leaving them before delivering an NBA title.
They vented. He vanquished.
James scored 38 points — 24 in the third quarter — and powered the Heat to a 118-90 win, a blowout that triggered a downward plunge by the Cavaliers that hasn’t stopped.
At 14-58, they have the league’s worst record and they’ll watch the playoffs this season for the first time in six years.
On the other hand, Miami’s win bonded the Heat, who are 41-14 since their Cleveland stopover and building for a title run.
“That was a huge step for us,” James said. “After that game, we took off.”
Security inside Quicken Loans Arena will again be at finals levels for James’ return. There will uniformed police located near Miami’s bench area and plain clothes officers will be spread throughout the stands to guard against any trouble.
For all the worry of an ugly incident leading up to the Dec. 2 matchup, there was only one arrest and a handful of ejections.
James was excited about going home again. Unlike Miami’s last visit, which came one night after the Heat played in Detroit, James came in one day early, giving him enough time to see his two sons and visit with family and friends in his hometown of Akron.