Awkwardness? Likely. Hard feelings? Perhaps. Outright vitriol? No way. After recent comments and reports surfaced that suggested a major rift between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, team leaders Dwyane Wade and LeBron James greeted each other with smiles at the Global Games reception in Rio last night.
.@KingJames & @dwyanewade at the #NBAGlobalGames reception in Rio.
@Cavs/@MiamiHEAT, 5pm/et Saturday on ESPNews. pic.twitter.com/F9wC8GnH3Z
— NBA (@NBA) October 11, 2014
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That doesn’t look like a fractured friendship to us. And frankly, despite reporting ad nauseam on the teams’ back-and-forth of the past few days, it’s hardly surprising.
Wade and James have always maintained that their friendship extends far beyond the court. The Heat legend, in fact, came out in strong support of LeBron immediately following the latter’s decision to return home. So while Wade’s recent sentiment that the 2013-2014 season “wasn’t fun” surely rubbed James the wrong way, it was hardly the kind of comment that would render a decade-long brotherhood anything less.
Bottom line: Wade, James, and Chris Bosh are utmost professionals. There’s no hatred from Miami nor from Cleveland, and both sides surely understand justification of the other’s actions – the Heat’s passive aggressiveness since July and LeBron’s choice to sign with the Cavs.
But that doesn’t mean a rivalry isn’t brewing; these match-ups will matter more than others. Miami obviously wants to show James what he’s missing in South Beach, and you can bet LeBron’s competitive fire will be extra hot when facing his old team. The first game is tonight at 5:00PM ET. Don’t expect a fight, but we suggest tuning in regardless.
What do you think?
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