LeBron's Homecoming: The Aftermath

It's been almost six months since the famed "Decision", Lebron James and the Miami Heat arrived in a raucous and wild Quicken Loans Arena, as the Cavaliers faced the Heat for the first time this season. Right from the player's entrance to the court, cascade of boos plagued the atmosphere of the arena. During pre-game warm-ups, the boos are getting louder and louder whenever LeBron touches the ball. They still have the same sentiments and feelings that they had from the day they witnessed the King's announcement on live television to bring his talents to South Beach, Florida.

LeBron James doing his pre-game ritual - the chalk toss - before tip-off.

I just wrote a blog two days ago on how will LeBron respond to the fired-up frenzy of boos and obscene words thrown by the Cavs fans for the entire game. It looks like he handled it very well and delivered one of his best games (yet...) this season, as the Heat strolled to a 118-90 drubbing of the Cavs. He made a triumphant return and tallied 38 points - 24 in the third quarter - grabbed five rebounds and dished out eight assists.

I watched the game from start to finish (it was 3 or 4 in the morning here in Milan. Whaddya expect? I want to witness it live, hehehe..), so i was able to catch up the introductions of players, were LeBron was introduced first among his teammates, and the arena was roaring into the chants of boos, even louder than the earlier ones. Once adored him, now, lashing their fury to their once-beloved son of the city. You can even hear chants, "Akron hates you" - where LeBron grew up, "Remember Game 5?" - pertaining to his mediocre performance against the Boston Celtics during the Eastern Conference Semifinals a few months ago, where they lost by landslide. But the boos turned into cheers when Cavs owner Dan Gilbert was shown on the big screen, heading towards to his seat, still, they were not able to tick LeBron James off. Even Dywane Wade, took all the brunt the Cavs fans are bashing to the, currently, most hated team in the NBA right now.

A fan shouting at LeBron James. Well, this is something expected.

As funny as it seems, this is not how Cleveland pictured his long-awaited return. They were expecting the Cavs to do beating of the Heat, instead, it's the other way around, where the Heat's the one who did the drubbing. Tensions we're at an all-high scale, but the good thing is there's no violence (although i have to admit that it would be fun to see a bit of it.. hehe..) LeBron even did his chalk toss pre-game ritual, in response to the wave of boos from the audience. Maximum security were installed into the whole arena. From entrances, to locker rooms, from every part of the arena, to make sure LeBron is safe and no inteded violence towards him would prevail. Even if it's one of these nights that are memorable in an akward way, still, i give credit to the Cavaliers' fans for being passionate to their team -- on how much they love their team.. You'll never see the same passion like that somewhere else (i guess..). But, one thing Cavs fans (and the organization as well.. Mr. Dan Gilbert, attention please..) should do soon is to forget all the things that happened for the past six months, and focus on what the current Cavs lineup could bring for the city.

When the game started to unravel in the succeeding periods, the loud noise around the arena started to pacify. LeBron was never fazed in the entire game, smiles back whenever profane words struck his ears. Suddenly, the boisterous, furious crowd of the Cavaliers eventually died down and turned the arena into a deafening dead air of disappointment. A moment of silence, indeed. Just like what Reggie Miller said in an article i have read two days ago, "Embrace the hate of the fans."

Overall, the supposed-to-be revenge night for the Cavs fans never even went their way. So, maybe after this one game of letting all of their hatred and anger out, it's the right time to bind themselves and put their focus in the future of the organization. It was a peaceful homecoming for LeBron, who dominated the hardwood last night and left a jarring reminded to the Cavaliers on all they've lost since he left.

Homecoming: LeBron James' return to Cleveland

The Summer of 2010 was one of the most highlighted events in the National Basketball Association's history, 'cause of the fact that it bears one of the deepest free agent pools in modern basketball times. And, obviously, the most prized free agent from the market this year is LeBron James - who held a one-hour television special, "The Decision", where he chose to bring his talents to South Beach, home of the Miami Heat. The team was able to pull-off, maybe, the best free-agent signing (at least for this decade), as James teamed up with Miami star Dwyane Wade and former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh. Mixed reactions spread across the cyberspace, even from the legends, to name a few: Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, etc. If he made the right decision, that's what we're yet to find out.

Powerhouse-in-the-making? James, Wade and Bosh.

A month after the regular season went underway, there are teams that already are showing signs they're heading to postseason. Others, well, not living up to the hype this past summer analysts talked about, most especially, the team i'm talking about now, the Miami Heat, who (as of this moment), has a 10 win-8 loss record. Not the starting record media and critics are fantasizing about. Even me, i was surprised in their current state right, although i know that it's too early to judge them, 'cause it takes time for a team to know each other and to function altogether, to run on the same wavelength. There has been a wide outspread of hate to the Heat, for the fact that they went into major overhaul and grab three superstars, most especially, James' former team, The Cleveland Cavaliers. From the day that he made the famed "Decision", outpouring of degrading and bashful words were thrown to the labelled "King". Fans from Cleveland felt that they were stabbed in the back and left for dead. Now, almost twenty games this season, i think Cleveland has a lot to say on Miami's disappointong start.

What's wrong with the Miami Heat?

A day from now (i mean, the 2nd of December), LeBron James and Co. are headed to Cleveland, Ohio, to face the Cavaliers for the first time this season. Expect waves of boos around the arena. Once James's home, now, a very hostile Quicken Loans Arena awaits him, entering the heart of the Lion's Den. Tensions could surface during the 48-minute battle, not between the players, i'm talking about LeBron and the fans. On how should LeBron response to the boos he'll hear for the entire game? According to an NBA Legend, LeBron should embrace the hate of the fans. That's what Reggie Miller says, who's had a fair share of bad guy image during his prime with the Indiana Pacers, been rivals with Spike Lee and the New York Knicks from his heydays. A quote from NBA News-AP:

"When you have 20,000 people yelling and screaming at you, four other guys can concentrate on the floor. So every time I touch the basketball and everyone is yelling and chanting and doing things towards me, well four other guys can concentrate. I knew I could concentrate through that and I hope he takes that approach."

So, from this hour onwards, we'll just have to wait and see how will LeBron handle the pressure his former fans will slam to him on his homecoming. On how will he respond? Let's just find out tommorow. Tune in to your televisions tomorrow, to witness history - Where Hating Happens.