He listened to his heart and not his mind as he opted to move back to the Cavaliers
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday. (Photo: AFP)
Chicago: Four years after enacting the drama, the controversial and shocking ‘The Decision’ on prime time television to announce his departure from Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami Heat in South Beach, LeBron James returned to his native city in his first comeback game for the Cavs.
Having set himself up in free agency following the Heat's NBA Finals defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in July, James listened to his heart and not his mind as he opted to move backto the Cavaliers.
There were many who poured scorn on ‘King’ James when he moved out in 2010 but it was like ‘the decision’ never happened as they welcomed back their most famous son with open arms.
More than the people of Cleveland, it was the citizens of Akron, where James played basketball in his formative years, who embraced him the most. For Akron, he was just a kid who put them on the map and showed the others that despite growing up in those troubled neighbourhoods you could make it big.
His return on Thursday night attended by a star-studded crowd and where the entire city of Cleveland forgot everything for two hours to watch the man they love to obsession was emotional beyond the realms of imagination.
So much so that neither the Cavs nor Cleveland itself was hurt by the factthat the New York Knicks edged them 95-90 at home. Importantly, the ‘King’ had arrived.
In the four months following his well-received move to go back to his roots at Cavs with whom he spent his first seven seasons, James, for all his iron will may have been tearing up inside given the touching reception accorded to him.
Forget the defeat, even the Knicks who pulled off the shocker which no-one expected, courtesy Carmelo Anthony’s standout show, were moved by the spectacle. “It was an incredible night, I haven’t seen anything like that before. The city was on fire,” gushed the Knicks’ forward Amar’e Stoudemire.
James didn’t do much and admitted as much; just 17 points from him was way below his lofty standards. But it is possible that his emotions had got the better of him. “It was a special night, I’m glad it’s over,” James was quoted as saying.
The 29-year-old became a father for the third time ten days ago after his wife Savannah Brinson gave birth to their daughter, Zhuri Nova in Ohio. Right now, James, who has two sons LeBron James Jr, 9 and Bryce Maximus, 7, is in a happy place at home.
The opener may not have gone according to script but James gets an immediate chance at redemption on Friday against the Chicago Bulls.
The homecoming is over but the party isn’t; it’s just begun for the Cavs fans and they believe the ‘King’ will deliver them the NBA riches even given their moderate success with just one Conference and three Division titles till date.
( Source : dc )
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