LeBron James' Cavaliers return special despite loss to Knicks
CLEVELAND — Even the New York Knicks winning the game 95-90 couldn't ruin it. The moment Cleveland Cavaliers fans had been waiting for finally arrived.
That instant, when Cavaliers public address announcer Olivier Sedra bellowed, "From St. Vincent St. Mary … " and the 20,000-plus fans' growing anticipation erupted in a rising swell of cheers and energy, the moment lived up to the hype.
It was a scene filled with joy and celebration: LeBron James is home.
For a stretch, it was like the old days at "The Q" when James was leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals and Eastern Conference finals.
But the game didn't match the hype, and neither did James' performance, as he finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and eight turnovers. But was it really about the performance? Did the result even matter?
"I thought we came out with energy and we started well," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. "We began the game in the fashion we had hoped to play it. Then we spiked at a certain point … and dropped off the map. … We got stagnant without question. We're good when we move the ball. We're really good."
James was scoreless almost halfway through the first quarter before finally getting on the board on a pass from Kevin Love. Love put up 19 points and 14 rebounds and Kyrie Irving had a team-high 22 points.
"Well, first of all, that was an emotional night for him without question," Blatt said. "He wanted badly to win the game and help the team play well. His effort was there. His efficiency was not what it normally is. That was obvious. We have to do a better job of getting him things in motion."
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points in a balanced effort.
Earlier in the day, James said he had a sense of what it might be like. As much as it meant for fans, it was important for James, too.
He did what he could to avoid allowing the moment to swallow him.
"I just tried to stay focused and maintain. … Obviously, it was a special night," James said, adding that it was a difficult game to play because of the hype surrounding his return.
The Cavaliers led 25-18 after one quarter and 44-42 at the half. But it was a sloppy game, fully of miscues from both teams. Then the Knicks started to find some rhythm, with help from unproven supporting players such as Shane Larkin and Quincy Acy along with Anthony, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.
The eight turnovers really rankled James afterward, as the Cavs had 19 as a team and were out-shot 53.6% to 45.7% from the field.
"I hate turning the ball over. My turnovers led to our team struggling on the defensive end," James said.
"We gave up too many shots were we didn't contest. Sometimes, defense wins games but sometimes the offense can take from the defense, and that's what happened. We started turning the ball over."
James, who listened to Twitter followers and participated in his pregame chalk toss, had no problem whipping a cross-court pass to Love or passing the ball to Anderson Varejao on a pick-and-roll. But it's obvious that what James and Blatt have said from the starting of training camp is true: patience is necessary.
"Are we going to grow every day? Are we not going to fall prey to the noise and the tough moments, and they will ultimately come. It's part of the process," Blatt said. "Are we going to stay focused, determined and dedicated to the task? Are we going to believe in each other enough to work our way through all the way through the trials and tribulations of an NBA season and ultimately become a top-level basketball team?"
Those answers will reveal themselves eventually.
Regardless, James' decision to return and play for the Cavaliers has made Cleveland the place to be.
James transformed the arena into a Midwestern version of the old Forum in Los Angeles, a building full of celebrities. Usher, Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, Spike Lee, Michael Strahan, David Beckham and Johnny Manziel and Joe Haden of the Cleveland Browns were in attendance.
Lamar and the Imagine Dragons performed an outdoor event across the street from the arena before the game began, and Blatt wondered if he needed to find a new route to the arena with so much downtown traffic.
During the day, workers finished hanging the massive banner on the Sherwin-Williams building adjacent to Quicken Loans and Nike launched its new commercial featuring James bringing the city together.
"The last several years in Cleveland for basketball have been tough, and the people have not left our side, have not left the team," Blatt said. "But they are hungry, and I think deserving of a good product, of a good show every night, of a team that's willing to give them everything that they've been giving to this club in tough times.
Blatt wanted his team to play the game, not the occasion. But deep down he knew that was impossible.
"This is a special day for a lot of people," Blatt said. "The city is, we'll you'll see, as excited and as enlightened as possibly as could be. I'm sure we'll feel that energy in the arena tonight."
No stranger to big moments, James understands the importance of today's game.
"By hearing all the noise, it's a pretty huge day," James said. "I understand how much I mean to this team, to this franchise, to this city, to this state. It's a different feeling. But I'm still calm and excited at the same time because it's the first game of the season."
Thursday's game was not about results as much as it was about James' return and the potential for something special — an NBA championship for a city that has not experience a title in major pro sports since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship in 1964.
There's 81 more games to focus on results and progress, starting Friday when the Cavaliers visit Central Division rival and main threat in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls.