Christmas Day, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers:
Were you expecting some other team?
There are those that believe that Christmas Day is when the NBA season really begins. Because the first month and a half of the year is in competition with the final few weeks of both the NFL and College Football seasons, it can be difficult to get too excited for the early slate of NBA games.
Well, if that’s the case, then the NBA picked the best way to steal back the spotlight.
LeBron James bringing his talents back to South Beach, while leading what could be a Finals contender, against the team that he led to four straight Finals appearances. He’s returned to a city he left once before, but this time the team waiting for him isn’t one that will be easily dismissed. The Heat should be able to pack a punch and could be leading the Southeast Division when these two team deck the halls.
The scene should be different than the one LeBron encountered when the Heat went to Cleveland in 2010. Cavs fans were full of rage and hate towards their hometown star leaving for greener pastures, that extra security was needed when the Heat arrived. Even in spite of LeBron’s departure and the perceptions that he intentionally left the Heat in the dark, Heat fans should still muster a nice reaction for his return to Miami.
After that, all bets are off.
Any civil reactions will probably go by the wayside once the game is under way, as Heat fans will let LeBron know how they really feel over the course of the game. The Heat could give fans the best Christmas gift of all by spoiling LeBron’s return to Miami with a win, and use it to carry momentum into 2015.
But for Heat fans, there would be nothing sweeter than giving LeBron a lump of coal in his stocking.