Heat-Cavs Preview MIAMI (AP) -- - LeBron James will have his favorite Thanksgiving foods - turkey, yams and macaroni and cheese - on his holiday table Thursday. More importantly, that table will be surrounded by his favorite people. If an upside exists to the Miami Heat having to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas on the road, a schedule quirk that the NBA champions are not happy about, its that one of those swings is through Cleveland. Miami visits the Cavaliers on Wednesday, and altered its postgame travel schedule so James could host Thanksgiving dinner at his northeast Ohio home. We would have loved to have been here for the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas being here in Miami, James said. We dont mind playing on those holidays. Wish we could have been here, but I am happy that Im able to do something for the team for Thanksgiving. James has tried to address every detail, like telling the team to wear casual attire and asking Shane Battier what beer he wants with dinner. James wife and his chef will split the cooking duties. Were not at home with our families for Thanksgiving but it couldnt work out any better that at least we could be in someone elses home, Miamis Dwyane Wade said. And its a very nice home that were going to, so Ill make sure Ill put on the right clothes and the right socks, gotta-take-your-shoes-off-at-the-door type of house. James previous visits to play against the Cavaliers, a team he led to their only NBA finals appearance but then spurned as a free agent, have taken on circus-like atmospheres. His first game in Cleveland was a hatefest as Cavs fans turned on the once adored superstar, booing his every move with unprecedented venom. Last March, James rallied the Heat from a 27-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Cavs in a game that included a fan running on the floor wearing a T-shirt that said: We Miss You, 2014 Come Back. That moment prompted Josh Raggi, a 24-year-old real estate broker, who like most Cavaliers fans felt betrayed by James departure, to take action to bring James home again. Raggi and three partners - one of them, James Blair, the fan who ran on the floor - launched Come Home LeBron, a campaign to show James that Northeast Ohio doesnt hate him. The group plans to hand out T-shirts outside Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night. A Come Home LeBron billboard went up near St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James beloved alma mater, on Monday. Were not trying to beg him to come back, Raggi said. We want to show him that he would be welcomed back. ... Time has healed. The Heat (11-3) are aware of the planned rallies, and James was tight-lipped about his thoughts. Heard about it, said James, who says he wont talk about next summer until it arrives. Heard about it. Battier understands where fans are coming from. If it was anyone else besides LeBron, Id say no, Battier said, asked if free-agent lobbying this early is odd. But hes sort of past the sublime level. For someone else? Yes. Its gone from the ridiculous to the sublime in general with LeBron. The same can be said about his play. Hes a four-time NBA MVP who is shooting 61 percent from the field, 49 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the foul line, which puts him on career-best pace in each category. Still, James contends hes not quite rolling. Im not there yet, but Im rounding the corner, James said. Im rounding third. Im feeling better every week. Upon hearing that, Wade scoffed with a grin. Hes there now, Wade said. Hes there. Its remarkable. James has shot 65 percent or better five times in Miamis first 14 games, including an 11-for-14 effort Monday against Phoenix - the Heats seventh straight win. Experience, his IQ, his understanding of our offense, understanding of how we want to attack, thats at an elite level -thats at coaching level, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Cavaliers (4-10) expected to be a playoff contender in their fourth season since James left, but they currently look like nothing of the sort. Cleveland has lost six of seven after falling 126-96 in San Antonio on Saturday. Good, old-fashioned behind kicking, coach Mike Brown said. We got our behinds kicked. We didnt do anything well. The only positive, I think, that we got out of this that we got to see how to play the game of basketball the right way. Miami won all four meetings last season, but none of those was decided by more than four points. Most notable was the Heats 27-point rally that beat the Kyrie Irving-less Cavs 98-95 in Cleveland on March 20.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 00:51:06 +0000
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