Criticism may not be a strong enough word.
Hatred, animosity, and complete rejection might be the best way to describe the city of Cleveland’s response to LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
Cavs fans were heartbroken, jerseys were burned, and the famous “We Are All Witnesses” mural in downtown Cleveland was torn down. James was criticized by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, basketball legends Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and seemingly nearly every sports fan in the country, minus Heat fans.
Look at him now. Four wins away from his first NBA championship.
He’s been here before with the Cavaliers, don’t get me wrong. In his first seven years in the league, LeBron led the Cavs to five straight playoff appearances, and all five years Cleveland won at least the first round series. After the 2006-07 season, the Cavs reached the NBA Finals, where they were swept by San Antonio. Many roster changes followed in the next few years, none of which created another team capable of reaching the Finals.
Look at him now. And look at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland finished the 2010-11 season with a 19-63 record, including a 26-game losing streak, the worst in NBA history. The Cavs watched LeBron and Miami finish second in the Eastern Conference, while Cleveland was last.
What was it that Gilbert had said in his letter, something about when James will win a title?
“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.”
Oh. Right.
The Cavaliers have the Nos. 1 and 4 picks in the upcoming NBA draft. They’re a young team, with a good head coach in Byron Scott, with nowhere to go but up. They have promise.
The Heat haven’t won the title yet. They face a veteran Dallas Mavericks team that can attack from many different angles. The Mavs are strong inside, one of Miami’s weaknesses.
Would I be surprised to see the Heat lose this series? No. The Mavericks are a well-balanced team and Dirk Nowitzki has never played better.
LeBron knew he’d be persecuted for going to Miami. He was criticized for “betraying” the Cleveland area, for not being able to win a title by himself, even for the hour-long television special, “The Decision”.
Lebron’s statistics fell from years passed, he lost the MVP race to Derrick Rose, and the Heat suffered inconsistency and losing streaks throughout the season.
But look at him now.
Sports Illustrated