LeBron James thinks his return to Cleveland in the Cavaliers’ home opener against the New York Knicks on Thursday is a big deal. In fact, he says, it may be one of the most important events ever.
“For me, I know all of us shouldn’t take this moment for granted,” James said, according to ESPN. “This is probably one of the biggest sporting events that is up there ever.”
James is undoubtedly one of the best players, if not the best player, in the NBA and his decision to go back to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers has been well documented and discussed over and over since he announced it in July.
Regardless, it should be an emotional moment for the city and Cavaliers fans, who were shocked when he decided to leave them behind for the “Big 3” in Miami and the glamour of South Beach after failing to win an NBA title during his first stint in Cleveland from 2003 to 2010.
On Thursday, fans arriving at Quicken Loans Arena will be given confetti to throw with James as the 10-time All Star throws chalk into the air as part of his pregame ritual before the 5 p.m. tipoff.
“It is not the beginning,” James, 29, said. “It is the third [chapter] for myself. It is far from the beginning.”
This time around, he expects things to be different after spending four years with the Miami Heat, reaching the NBA Finals in each season and winning two championships. So do oddsmakers like Bovada, which is giving Cleveland 5-2 odds of winning the NBA title.
Cleveland, which has not had a winning season since James left — in fact its best record in that time was 33-49 last year — has won the NBA draft lottery in two consecutive years.
The Cavs selected Andrew Wiggins out of Kansas with the No. 1 overall draft pick in June. They later leveraged Wiggins’ potential as part of a trade with Minnesota for double-double machine Kevin Love.
Love led the league with 65 double-doubles last season while averaging 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
Together with Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, a two-time All Star and 2012 rookie of the year, Cleveland has its own version of the “Big 3.”
“It’s going to be electric in here, but I hope more than anything we just want to get a win at the end of the day,” Love said.
Anything less would be a disappointing return of the “King.”
Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme
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