LeBron James returns to Miami, but is he friend or foe?
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade listed three options for Miami Heat fans as they get ready to host LeBron James in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform for the first time since James left town.
"You can boo the whole time. You can cheer the whole time. Or you can boo and cheer. That's it," Wade said of Thursday's Christmas game between the Heat and Cavaliers (5 p.m. ET, ABC).
The answer is obvious.
In four seasons with Miami, James led the Heat to NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and a winning percentage of .719, including .814 at home. In between his first game and last game, the Heat put together a 27-game winning stream, James won two MVP awards, he scored a career-high 61 points in a home game last season and had six triple-doubles at American Airlines Arena.
He gave fans a lifetime of memories.
Even if there are some boos, there should be grateful recognition for what James did for the Heat. For his part, James isn't worried about fan reaction.
"My job is to go down there and try to win a basketball game and live in the moment," James said. "At the end of the day, the game will be over in 48 minutes and we'll move on and play (the) Orlando (Magic on Friday)."
James' reception in Miami will be unquestionably different than when he returned to Cleveland for the first time after joining the Heat in 2010-11. On that night, a vile and frightening anger consumed Quicken Loans Arena. That game on Dec. 2, 2010 turned into a bonding moment for the Heat, and James went out and torched Cleveland for 38 points.
In this return, James looks forward to the game and seeing former teammates and coaches.
"If I said I hadn't thought about going back, I'd be lying to you guys," he said. "It's going to be great to be back in that building around those unbelievable fans. The memories will definitely come back – being part of the organization for four years that I was there. When it gets here, I'm going to be excited. I'm going relive a lot of moments in my head and go from there."
James has a deep appreciation for his time in Miami, a period in which he developed into a more efficient player. He shot better than 50% in each of his four seasons with the Heat, including a career-high 56.7% from the field last season and a career-high 40.6% on three-pointers in 2012-13.
The two teams played a preseason game in Brazil, and Wade said that game removed some of the awkwardness that may have existed if Thursday's game was the first encounter since James left Miami.
There's not much animosity in Miami's locker room over James' decision to return to Cleveland. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he hasn't taken down pictures of James in his office, and Wade and Heat veteran power forward Udonis Haslem said the friendship will always be there.
"It's all love, man. I have no ill feelings towards LeBron," Haslem said. "I'm one person who understands being home, being able to stay home and make sacrifices to be home. I've done it my whole career. I can't fault him for that. We had a great four years together. We had a lot of success together and we'll continue to be friends.
"I can't speak on how the fans will be. But I would hope it would be classy and people will be appreciative of what he's done for us the last four years."
James and Wade have been friends for more than 10 years – their entire adult lives pretty much. They attended each other's wedding, their kids are friends and they have a friendship that's going to last a lifetime.
In early December, Wade told USA TODAY Sports that he and James talk often and Wade said he pays attention to what James and the Cavaliers are doing. James leaving Miami didn't change their friendship.
"We have a great friendship and great respect for each other. It won't change," Wade said, "We'll play against each other, compete against each other and try to win the ballgame but before and after, we're friends."