It did not take long for the immense talent of LeBron James and the Miami Heat to overwhelm the Cavaliers in the two-time MVP's maiden return to Cleveland. To some degree, the Heat's dominance served to diffuse Cleveland fans' fiery onslaught toward the man they call The Lyin' King; it's hard to summon heaps of vitriol when you're watching what has become a lay-up drill.
Heat Vs. Cavaliers: LeBron James’ Former Teammates Play Nice, Cavs Coach Jamahl Mosley Not So Much
As is typically the case, the bummed-out Cavaliers on the bench settled into dispositions reminiscent of sedated zombies by the third quarter; LeBron, who spent several years taking fake photographs and movie reels of these former teammates cracked a few jokes at them during stoppages in play. Some of the Cavs smiled, laughed or parlayed with LeBron.
That didn’t sit well with John Bena of SB Nation’s Cavs blog Fear the Sword:
Tonight, of all nights, should have been about giving LeBron James the cold shoulder. Like the fans, the Cavaliers players needed to make sure LeBron DID NOT feel at home at The Q. [...] Throughout the first half, as LeBron James was trying to get into a flow, he could be seen smiling, joking, talking with Cavaliers coaches and players. At different time, LeBron had some fun with Daniel Gibson, Chris Jent and J.J. Hickson. To be completely honest, the sight of it sickened me. What has been missing in LeBron's game all season - the fun - came back tonight and much of it was provided and enabled by the Cavaliers. It was like LeBron had never left.
In fact, it looked like the Cavaliers didn't want LeBron James mad at THEM. "Hey, LeBron, it's the fans that are chanting all those mean things. We still love you."
Not all the Cavs were too nice, though: Mo Williams pretended LeBron didn’t exist before the game, and in the following video, Cavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley (who didn’t come to Cleveland until LeBron had left) expresses his exasperation at King James’ chatter (via the Cleveland Scene):
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