King James Triumphs In Return to Cleveland
James' season-high 38 points leads Heat over Cavaliers in return to home state.
Dec. 3, 2010 -- After jettisoning Cleveland for the warm shores of Miami this off-season, LeBron James made his first return to his former city, proving once again why teams clamored for his services in the first place.
James scored a season-high 38 points -- including 24 in a dominant third quarter -- to lead the Miami Heat to a 118-90 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night.
Though the Cavs often looked listless on the court, those in the stands brought the energy, not to mention the derisive chants and boos, they usually reserve for the playoffs. Frustrations have run high in Cleveland after the two-time MVP left as a free agent after seven seasons there.
"If my wife left me, I'd be devastated." Mike Greenberg, co-host of ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" told "Good Morning America." "If she had a television special to announce she was leaving me, and that's how I found out about it, I think I'd go from being very sad to being very angry. And that's pretty much what we saw from LeBron James."
From the start it was obvious inside Quickens Loan Arena that this was no typical game for all parties involved. Even Moondog, the Cavs' fuzzy mascot, diverged from routine by having to wear a bulletproof vest.
"This one hurts them so much because it's a hometown guy that basically gave up on them," said co-host Mike Golic. "The fans did what fans do; they showed their passion and their emotion, and for the most part I thought it was a good showing."
James, squarely in the role of villain, embraced the negativity. Despite getting booed nearly every time he touched the ball, James scored 14 points in the first half as the Heat opened a 59-40 lead.
But it was in the third quarter, when the game started to fall apart. James made 10 of 12 shots in the third, including jumpers from every angle, even taunting Cleveland's bench after draining an impressive baseline jumper.
"I know this court. I've made a lot of shots on this court,'' he told The Associated Press afterward.
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