Video: LeBron James’ 25 Point First Quarter In Cleveland

In a return to the Quicken Loans Arena that used to be adorned with banners bearing the phrase “We Are All Witnesses” before an ESPN-televised departure south, LeBron James had something special in store Tuesday night during the Heat’s visit to Cleveland. After a misspelling of his name (it wasn’t purposeful as Anderson Varejao can attest), James went out and dropped 25 first-quarter points on his former team to begin his 43-point night in a closer-than-expected Heat win.

In the first quarter alone, James was 10-for-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point territory. He also threw a ridiculous dime to Ray Allen, wiggling into the lane where three Cavs converged before flipping it back-handed to a wide-open Allen beyond the arc.

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But his shooting was awesome, like his 61-point night earlier this season:

James’ hot shooting didn’t last, even though he tied a Heat franchise record (set by Sherman Douglas and tied by Dwyane Wade) with 31 first-half points. The Cavs made a game of it after James’ opening outburst, shooting over 51 percent of their own without star Kyrie Irving and outscoring the Heat in the second and third quarters. The final was a lot closer than James’ opening suggests, with the Heat winning in less-than-dominating fashion, 100-96.

Still, James was 4-for-8 the rest of the way to finish 14-for-19 from the field for 43 points. Here’s his green-laden shot chart for the night:

He was also pretty active on the defensive end, blocking three shots and getting two steals. The Heat needed it all in a tough road win that probably should have been easier despite the absence of Wade.

The Cavs probably should have watched out for this “LaBron” guy from the beginning.

Some people get no respect. That's "LaBron"'s name spelled incorrectly on scoreboard in CLE. #Cavs pic.twitter.com/WMZZDoH0mE

— M.S. Boyer/J. Valade (@PDcavsinsider) March 18, 2014