Return of the King : Lebron James

Robert Browning (1812-1883) once wrote :

“Not hear? When noise was everywhere! It tolled, increasing like a bell. Names in my earsOf all the lost adventurers my peers, how such a one was strong, and such was bold,And such was fortunate, yet, each of old. Lost, lost! One moment knelled the woe of years.”

I think he was writing about Lebron James’s return to the Quicken Loans Arena (the Q) at Cleveland, Ohio for the first time after his “decision” to “take his talents to south beach”. It was the event of the year for Cleveland, a town that hasn’t won a major sports trophy in over 50 years and King James was the closest that they would ever get to it.

Let’s get the mundane stuff out of the way. The Miami Heat stuffed the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-90 in a game where basketball was obviously of secondary importance. Now for the main dig, how did King James do? Well, he showed why he is the object of such hatred and why he is missed so much by Cleveland. Lebron scored 38 points and had 8 assists, going 10-12 in the 3^rd quarter, scoring 24 points and then sitting out the 4^th quarter completely.

Before the game, fans peppered Lebron with obscene chants and booed every time he appeared on the giant TV screens beneath the scoreboard. They held up signs that read, “Quitness” and “Play like It’s Game Five” – a reference to his playoff failure against Boston last season, when many fans – and owner Dan Gilbert – felt James had quit. There were eight guys wearing a single letter each on their white T-shirts that spelled out: BETRAYED.

The ‘QUITNESS’ Jersey

The entire arena was buzzing with hatred and ill-will, it’s a miracle there was no violence. Security was at an all time high at the Q and one fan was ejected pointing at James and uttering profane words. After putting on a clinic in the 3^rd quarter, James even mocked the Cleveland bench but insisted it was in fun (post-game).

The people of Cleveland were thirsting for blood, and they wanted to spew their entire venom upon Lebron James all night long. But unfortunately for them, James was in the mood to put on a virtuoso performance this night. The fans at the Q were rendered silent by the offensive onslaught that James put on. It is a cruel irony that the very talent that they seeked to thrash made them leave the arena before the game even finished. The game that mattered most to the franchise turned into its worst loss of the season so far.

James sat on the bench for all of the fourth quarter, with dozens of security guards and police lining the team’s entrance to the court and guarding against objects thrown at him. After the clock ran out, he left without incident. Throughout the game, James frequently bantered with his former coaches and fans at courtside. He never apologized to Cleveland or its fans, but said he appreciated the way he was treated as a young pro.

Love him or hate him, Cleveland you just cannot forget him.

First the decision, then this: The Return of the King.