Smack / Dec 3, 2010 / 3:12 am

LeBron James dominates ex-team, eviscerates ex-fans in Cleveland

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Whoever has the job of producing We’re Not So Bad: The Story of the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers has some tough editing decisions following last night’s loss to the Miami Heat. This was clearly the Cavs’ defining game of the year, and barring a surprise playoff appearance, the one night when they would have millions of eyes on them. But not only did the Cavs lose, they lost big, and they let the plot’s villain — former local hero turned pariah LeBron James — rampage all over their home court and leave them unconscious and twitching in his wake. When recounting the Cavs’ story, do you just act like this never happened, or stomach the carnage? … LeBron posted 38 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, committing zero turnovers as his new team destroyed his old team in a 30-piecing. Oh, and did we mention LeBron did all of that in just three quarters? He sat out the entire fourth while the garbage-time crew (including Erick Dampier) did mop-up duty … While he never got the vicious monster dunk he was probably secretly craving, LBJ did just about everything else. He glided coast-to-coast for barely-contested lefty layups. He sized up former teammates before sticking turnaround and pull-up jumpers in their eyes. He hit one fallaway J from an impossible baseline angle that even LeBron couldn’t help but laugh about (right in front of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s seat). He caught one alley-oop, absorbed a push in mid-air, and still banked in a shot with the foul. When he wasn’t scoring, he was hitting Chris Bosh for mid-range jumpers or finding cutters like Dwyane Wade (22 pts, 9 rebs, 9 asts, 3 stls) going to the rim. All in all, LeBron saved his best performance for the biggest stage of the season (so far). Now he and the Heat can get back to the business of developing a chemistry to keep up with the other title contenders … So how were the fans? They booed, made some funny/cruel signs, and there were a few middle fingers. But nothing too terrible, at least from what we could hear. In the post-game press conference, LeBron said that Cavs fans were never on the Terminator list he made in the offseason of people taking shots at him on which he vowed revenge …

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  • http://dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Claw — Again, tell me what exactly is disrespectful about deciding to play for another team? LeBron was a free agent, just like the hundreds of other free agents this summer who weighed offers from different teams and picked the most appealing situation. He never said anything bad about Cleveland or the Cavs. And it’s not like he didn’t give the Cavs a chance to pitch him on staying. They just didn’t put together a good enough pitch. It happens in business every single day.

    Now if you want to talk about disrespect, how disrespectful was it for Cleveland fans to spend the last 5 months ripping the man who made their franchise relevant for 7 years? All those playoff runs, the NBA Finals, the national TV appearances, the merchandise sales … doesn’t happen without LeBron. He brought the Cavs to a level they’ve never been to before, and he gets welcomed back like that? How about some appreciation for the best player your franchise has ever had?

    As far as “taking the easy way,” when was the last time an NBA team won a championship easily? Even the 72-win Bulls had to go through a grind. It’s NEVER easy, it’s ALWAYS a challenge. LeBron and Wade and Bosh never claimed it would be easy, either. Is it tougher to carry a roster with zero fellow All-Stars to a title than to be part of a team with two other All-Stars? Of course. But that doesn’t make the Miami situation “easy.” If that’s the case, Kobe and Pierce are also taking the “easy” way by playing on teams with a lot of talent. If you want to accuse somebody of taking the easy way, accuse Shaq. He went to Boston knowing he could get a 5th ring even as a backup. Accuse Matt Barnes of taking the easy way by going to the Lakers when he could have “toughed it out” in Orlando. But the only guy being accused of shying away from a challenge is LeBron.

    Concepts like being a “singular player” and doing it by yourself are things that fans care about more than athletes. Where was it written that because you’re a great player, you have to be on a team where no one else comes close to your ability? Duncan, Kobe, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Isiah, all of them had great players and great coaches who were brought in to make them better. They never had to face a situation where leaving would be more appealing because their franchises took care of them. LeBron never had a great coach and had just a few above-average players on his team. So you can’t hold him to the same standard.

    A ring is a ring. Do you think Ron Artest values his championship any less because he wasn’t the best player on the Lakers like he was in Sacramento? Do you think Clyde Drexler values his ring any less because he wasn’t the best player on the Rockets like he was in Portland? Only fans (and media) care about stuff like who is doing it “by himself.”

    Did LeBron quit in the last Boston series? I don’t know. I watched him get a triple-double with 19 rebounds in Game 6, and I saw his WHOLE TEAM AND HIS COACH decide not to foul in that last minute. I saw him play like crap and seem mentally checked out in Game 5, just like I saw Kobe mentally check out in Game 7 against the Suns in ’06, just like I saw Pierce play like crap when Boston was eliminated by Orlando in ’09. Where was the fire and determination there? You or me don’t know because we’re not in these player’s heads. So what’s the point of even guessing?

  • Mt. Pleasant

    AB – I don’t hate James or blame him for leaving Cleveland, but who are you to call Cleveland Bitches and tell them how to feel. Its sports, you are allowed to cheer and boo who you like. I thought they handled it pretty well, no real incidents.

    I usually like your stuff but you come off as real arrogant on this one.

    PS – Danny Heatley came back to Ottawa for the first time in the NHL on the same evening after forcing a trade and they stood and chanted Heatley Sucks for the first 10 minutes of the game.

  • K Dizzle

    @ Austin

    I’m embarrassed for you, bruh.

    There are only 2 Franchise players who will forever be hated by the teams where they had the greatest individual success: Lebron James and Vince Carter. There is a reason. Too bad you can’t understand.
    You should maybe consider quitting Dime and getting a spot in Lebron’s yesmen posse.
    For a grown man to not understand that Lebron disrespected his franchise and to compare it to Amare shows a lack of logic. To say it shouldn’t matter where a player was from is ignorant beyond belief. If you don’t know why Cleveland is different from any other city in America, you should stop writing. If you don’t understand whether Lebron quit or not, then you should stop writing. Just the fact you “don’t know ” is an indictment. Your Kobe example is nice, but I don’t remember Kobe leaving town that summer.
    Even Lebron’s fans say he could have done it differently, but you ACTUALLY say that he NEEDED to do The Decision. And somehow, it’s the fans fault for not “appreciating him cuz of all he’s done for the Franchise”. Listen, man. Lebron plays basketball. He got paid well to play basketball. He got his own franchise in his hometown straight outta high school. His teams won 120+ games in the last 2 seasons. They upgraded his terrible coach and let the young players grow. Then, before his 7th season, he decides he wants to go play with a guy who already won achip as the alpha. He lost respect from anybody who’s ever struggled to achieve. The list of legends who shook their heads is endless.
    It’s all good though. You don’t get it. It blows your mind that the fans actually reacted the way they did. Well, you don’t think LBJ did anything wrong so we’ll just agree to disagree.

  • Badger

    K-Dizzle sounds like a whiny bitch Lakers fan who hates on anybody that threatens Kobe’s precious spot as an elite player in the game. You keep talking about disrespecting the franchise well let’s go down the list with LeBron…

    1. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by going on the radio and demanding a trade?

    2. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by going on camera saying they needed to trade their young franchise center?

    3. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by refusing to shoot the ball during national TV games just to make a point to his coach?

    4. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by only shooting it three times in the second half of a Game Seven?

    5. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by telling police one of his teammates pays off his side girls? And naming the guy?

    6. Did LeBron diss the Cavs by putting himself in position to get arrested and publicly embarrass himself in the offseason?

    7. Did LeBron diss teams that wanted to draft him out of high school by refusing to play for them and then forcing a trade to a big market?

    Nope … but I do beleive a certain Mr. Kobe Bryant did all of those things to the Lakers. And yet you LA fans still lick his balls at every opportunity. (BTW if Lebron as lucky enough to have Shaq, Phil, Gasol and Artest on his team he wouldn’t have left Cleveland.)

    I don’t agree with everything AB has been saying about LeBron – I think he should have told his Cavs teammates before he told anybody else – but otherwise I don’t think it’s as big a deal as everybody wants to make it.

    But I can tell LA fans are just scared. They keep saying Lebron took the easy way by picking Miami, so you guys must think LeBron and Wade will EASILY end your three-peat hopes.

  • http://www.highschoolhoop.com Austin Burton

    @K Dizzle — Don’t bother feeling embarrassed. Obviously some people will never change their opinion, and I’m probably as stubborn as you are.

    I know Cleveland fans and I used to be a Browns fan growing up (still follow the team to this day). I get the whole Cleveland misery thing. But I still don’t have a problem with LeBron leaving or how he announced it.

    I think too many people like yourself are looking at LeBron (and every other athlete) like he’s just a video game character or a fantasy roster fill-in. You’re forgetting these are people who put more thought into their decisions than what it means for their basketball legacy and what the fans think of them. Like I’ve said 100 times, maybe LeBron just didn’t want to live in Cleveland/Akron any more and wanted to try something new at 25 years old.

    Besides, what else does he owe the Cavs than what he’s already given them? He fulfilled his contract, he made the franchise a money-making contender and a national presence on the sports landscape. He went above and beyond the expectations that should be set for a kid who came to the NBA straight out of high school. He doesn’t have to give Cavs a hometown discount or limit his own opportunities in life.

    The next time you get offered a promotion at your job, I hope you consider that and don’t just stay where you are because you don’t want to be seen as disrespecting the company.

  • Claw

    @Austin – You don’t get it, you actually think Lebron thought about how the outcome of his “Decision” and didn’t think it might not be a good idea? That “Decision” cost him tens of millions and killed his “brand”. You thought it was alright to shit on the city he grew up in front of tens of millions?

    Dude a “Browns” fan, I grew up in Akron, I played against St. Vs growing up, I won championships at Balch Street and played at the Pit at Akron. His mom used to flippin park at our fraternity house since it was right next to the Jar (Akron U’s basketball stadium) where St. V’s played their games. I was proud of Lebron and him making it, wanting to play football his senior year even though he might get injured because he loved playing football, and not getting in trouble when he started living with his mom who was a little whacked.

    I could care less if he went to Miami, but the way he did it was so egotistical, narcicisstic, and stunk of hubris, he just kept shitting on the team and the city. You don’t disrespect where you came from.

    Funny you bring up a the personal job. I got an offer from another company and told my CEO I was interviewing before my 2nd interview to give him a heads up. That was to let him know why and not acting like I’m going behind his back, its called respect and Lebron doesn’t have it. He is the definition of hubris.

  • http://www.highschoolhoop.com Austin Burton

    @Claw — Again, you keep using the same phrases without actually telling me WHY or HOW what LeBron did counts as disrespect. Did I miss the part where he said something negative about Cleveland? Did I miss the part where he said something negative about the Cavaliers, his ex-coach or his ex-teammates?

    It sounds like you think the “disrespect” comes from LeBron not telling the Cavs first that he was leaving, and from announcing his decision on TV.

    But tell me why LeBron owed it to the Cavs to inform them of his choice before he told anybody else. He wasn’t under contract with them anymore, and as we have since learned, the owner didn’t like him anyway and merely viewed LeBron as property. (On that note, if LeBron really did quit on his team and Gilbert knew it, why did Gilbert try to re-sign him?) Simply leaving a team doesn’t equal “shitting on” a team. When Damien Wilkins leaves the Hawks next summer as a free agent, are you gonna say he also shit on his hometown team? Or is LeBron only held to that standard because he’s a star?

    And as I’ve said before, high school players announce their decisions on TV and keep coaches/programs in suspense ALL THE TIME, and I never hear of anybody calling them egotistical or disrespectful. Same with college kids who announce whether they’re going pro or staying in school.

    You say LeBron “killed” his brand, I say he still looks rich from here. He’s still getting paid by everybody who was paying him before. From his Decision he has “problems” that 99 percent of NBA players would love to have.

  • K Dizzle

    @ Badger

    Whiny little bitch?
    Kid, I wish you would.
    Where did Kobe come into this? Why you even bring up the 2 TIME DEFENDIN CHAMPS to make a point about LBJ leavin Clevland? You ignorant.
    Kobe bitched and whined for better teammates, threatened to leave then reupped BEFORE the Lakers got Pau.
    Next time you wanna jump into a convo with grown folks, get some right facts, punk.
    Kobe got my fave franchise 5 RINGS. What the fuck you comparin that to?
    You spittin shit cuz the Heat beat the Cavs? Give your head a shake. Last I checked, Boston owns Miami and Jameer took a tech just to let em know when they played Orl.
    Only a fool would think Miami could beat Boston or Orlando four times. Thanks for the ignorant ass post. I may have thought you were an idiot, but you posted and verified that fact. Go watch some games, do research, stop livin in the past then repost when Lebron has 5 rings, scrub.

  • Badger

    @K-Dizzle — Yeah, whiny bitch Lakers fan. There are thousands, you just happen to be one of them.

    Funny how you guys get on LeBron for “taking the easy way out” when you worship at the altar of Kobe, who has never won ANYTHING without a Hall of Fame big man at his side and the best coach of all-time. What happened when Kobe had Rudy Tomjanovich on the bench and Kwame Brown in the post? Lottery, first-round exits, and quitting in Game 7. And you cannot deny that.

    Now keep in mind that LeBron has never even had a coach as good as Tomjanovich, let alone one as good as Phil, never had a teammate as good as prime Shaq or Gasol or even Artest, and yet LeBron was still going to the Finals and putting up triple doubles and 40-point lines in elimination games.

    Face it: Kobe (and the Lakers) have gotten lucky to have a great front office, great coaching staff and great supporting cast. LeBron has never had anything like that until now, and he still doesn’t have a great coach. Yeah, Kobe has 5 rings because he had the right pieces around him. When he tried to do it “on his own,” he was just another T-Mac. Tell me I’m wrong…

  • Claw

    HOW?
    Holding “recruiting” visits from Chitown, NY, Miami, and Cleveland when all along he knew where he was going. Why drag it out?
    The Decision – He had to broadcast to everybody that he was leaving and “taking his talents to South Beach” that was a bitch a** move.
    Quit bring up High school students going to college this argument doesn’t make any sense, why would you even use it when it doesn’t make a point?

    This isn’t a HS student or college kid or NBA player that is the 9th man on his team (Damien Wilkins? Really?)

    The is the 2x NBA MVP that was mentioned as being one of the greats in the NBA. What has happened since his “decision” to Miami, that discussion is done, he had to go to somebody else’s team. Form a “Superteam” and has already started complaining. How do you give up being one of the greatest? That is disappointing.

    Give me your side of the argument, you bring up HS kids and NBA players that aren’t even starters.

    And to think you don’t think this will hurt his value, your are delusional. His “global” brand which he was trying to grow is done.

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