LeBron James: 10 Things He Should Expect in His Cleveland Return
LeBron James returns to Cleveland tonight for the first time since spurning the Cavaliers to "take his talents to South Beach."
It's sure to be a show, perhaps an even bigger one than the over-the-top celebration for James when he arrived in Miami.
It's a meeting between a city that wants a winner and its would-be prodigal son, who some say took the easy way out by bolting Ohio for the Heat.
So far, that experiment hasn't worked.
It's as if a chemist mixed all the wrong ingredients together and is now waiting for the inevitable implosion.
Cavaliers fans are probably smiling as we speak, and tonight there's sure to be some fireworks when James' Heat takes on the team he was supposed to take to the promised land.
So what will happen when James comes to Cleveland tonight?
Let's take a look at 10 things the former franchise savior can expect when he returns.
10. The Exact Opposite Reaction for Zydrunas Ilgauskas
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LeBron James isn't the only former Cavalier who will be playing for the Miami Heat tonight.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be too.
But Big Z didn't crap all over Cleveland in a hour-long, ego-stroking TV spectacle before he took his talents to South Beach.
He thanked the city and Cavs in a newspaper ad and he remains in Cleveland's good graces.
Ilgauskas will be inundated with cheers and applause, which I'm guessing won't be the same case for James.
9. A Cavs Team That Isn't Very Good
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LeBron James probably wouldn't be the most hated man in Cleveland if he didn't nearly destroy the Cavaliers franchise.
But that's just about what he's done.
We've heard it for years: Take James off that team and they're a sub-.500 club.
Well, through 17 games, they're 7-10. Chances are they will stay on that pace the rest of the way.
With James, the Cavs were a 60-plus win team. Now? They'll probably win 30-to-35 games, maybe a few more.
8. The Fans Will Turn Their Backs on Him
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It's pretty hard for 10 people to perform one act in unison, so expecting an entire arena to do this might be a bit of a stretch.
But it's something Cavaliers fans would love to pull off.
Imagine this: When LeBron James enters the Q, everyone in the arena stands up, faces the other way and turns their back on their former hometown hero.
The look on James' face would be absolutely priceless and it would make for arguably one of the most shocking moments in recent sports history.
7. A No-Nonsense Atmosphere
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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena will have extra security for tonight's game.
That's probably a good idea.
There's no doubt that there will be dozens, probably even hundreds, of people who feel like "The Decision" was a personal attack that didn't affect anyone but themselves.
With the way some fans take sports so seriously, it's not out of the question that we'll see some crazed fan do something stupid.
The Cavs are making sure nothing like that will happen—no bottles will be given out and there will be undercover security officers throughout the arena.
So even though LeBron James will be getting plenty of verbal hate, he can expect a controlled atmosphere.
6. A Physical Game
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Most of the players on Cleveland's roster will probably downplay LeBron James' return as "just another game."
But you and I know that, in the back of their minds, they're pissed off.
Mo Williams seems to have made peace with James' departure and the rest of the Cavaliers haven't commented on it all that much.
But even if they deny it, they'll be fired up for this one.
I'm not saying they'll play dirty, but Anderson Varejao will be playing with a little more motivation. Williams probably wouldn't mind roughing James up a bit and J.J. Hickson will want to silence "The King."
If it gets a little physical, so be it.
5. Very Few LeBron James Jerseys
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Wearing a LeBron James jersey to a Cleveland Cavs game is the equivalent of wearing a Red Sox jersey to a Yankees game.
Actually, it's probably even worse at this point.
Anyone who sports LeBron James gear—whether it's a Cavs or a Heat uniform—is sure to get mean-mugged all game and is likely one step closer to a taking a beating in the parking lot.
Of course, there will be some guys who'll wear it—probably to draw the ire of Cavs fans—but I wouldn't expect to see more than a few random James jerseys here and there.
Whoever wears one likely won't be enjoying the game too much, though.
4. Some Cheers
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For every 100 fans that despise LeBron James, there will be a few who will cheer for him for the rest of his career.
Because, let's face it: There are Cavaliers fans, and there are LeBron James fans.
As much as he is loathed in Cleveland after "The Decision," there will be that guy, probably from Cleveland nonetheless, who has traded in his No. 23 Cavs jersey for a brand new No. 6 Heat jersey
He'll be sitting in the stands surrounded by Cavs fans—once one of them himself—and will stand in applause for everything James does.
He may be drowned out by angry taunts and cheers, but he'll be there for sure, slowly pushing himself into LeBron territory with his obnoxious antics from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.
3. A Flood of Emotions
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It seems like LeBron James has been partying it up ever since leaving Cleveland.
Now that he's playing with his buddies in Miami, he's all smiles and jokes, all fun and games.
Not tonight though.
James will be flooded with a wide range of emotions when he enters the arena, everything from appreciation to joy to regret.
His expression will be stoic, but his insides will be burning as he relives all the memories from the time he spent with the Cavaliers.
2. A Deafening Chorus of Boos
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Every time LeBron James touches the ball, he'll hear it from the crowd.
From the long-time Cavaliers fan sitting courtside to the fans in the $20 seats in the nosebleed section, James will be showered with more boos than Steve Bartman at a Chicago Cubs game.
There will be more noise—the bad kind—than James has ever experienced.
It might even be louder than the ridiculous concert that greeted James and the Miami Thrice.
1. Angry Taunts and Hilarious Signs
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People who aren't usually creative will go to the store to buy some poster board and a box of Sharpies just so they can come up with some kind of ridiculous (and hilarious) jab directed toward LeBron James.
When those fans aren't holding up their signs for all the world to see, they'll be destroying their vocal cords in an attempt to make James break down in tears on the court.
I can only imagine some of the things they'll be saying, but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to post them on this site.
