It didn't live up to the hype in Cleveland for a couple of reasons.
First off, the Miami Heat decided to play the way everybody thought they might when the team signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh last July.
Secondly, yes they are a team with inferior talent, but I'm sorry, the Cavs' effort last night was weak. But there was no denying James, who passed the test with flying colours.
As for the Cavs, many complained that there were "enablers" when James was in Cleveland that allowed him to have his run of the franchise and it sure looked the same last night.
The hometown squad with an angry and energy-charged crowd behind them were soft and let James have his way. It seemed like the fans cared more than the team did at times and although he said the right things in the post game news conference, head coach Byron Scott who had his share of battles in hostile environments, can't be happy about the way his team played.
At least one of the coaches, Jamahl Mosely told James to shut the (insert expletive here) up when he appeared to be "woofing" at the Cleveland bench. Just curious but, where were the officials when James was "jaw jacking" with/at he Cavs bench?
Is that not taunting? In fairness, it was on a free throw and they are in assigned spots, but if I'm on the floor, I'm knocking him down, and if I'm on the bench, I'm asking about the "respect for the game" to shut him up since the league doesn't allow frontier justice any longer.
Before the game James said he was comfortable on the floor and even though the fans gave it their best efforts, the team did nothing to unnerve him on the court. Truthfully, the fans reaction, although strong, was not nearly as bad as those delivered by Toronto fans to Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter.
And oh yes, Chris Bosh, you're next.
But James' performance was solid as he put up the highest point total by a player in the first game against his former team.
James' 38 points including an impressive 24 alone in the third frame, silenced Quicken Loans arena allowing him to punch out and watch the final 12 minutes from the bench. James was low key in the post-game news conference. Was he trying to come off looking a bit better than he did during "the decision?"
Possibly, but you know it's a big relief that he has faced the music and performed well. And you also realize that when he left the arena, he was laughing on the plane ride all the way back to Miami.
But the bigger question with the Heat now on a three-game winning streak is, will the win over Cleveland be looked back upon later in the season as part of stretch of games where the Heat finally figured it out?
We'll see.
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With James' return to Cleveland now finished and all this talk about players leaving places for other places and their imminent returns, Raptors fans might be interested to know that Jerryd Bayless is quite at home in Toronto.
If you don't believe me, my broadcast partner Eric Smith pointed this out to me.: People who don't believe "E" and me when we tell them how much NBA players love Toronto and would come here if the team is winning, should take a read here from Bayless.
