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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James welcomed his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, at Staples Center on Oct. 29. James didn't welcome them too kindly, though, as he dropped 26 points and eight assists in their 113-101 win over Cleveland.
Be it as a member of the Miami Heat, or donning the Purple and Gold, James always seems to be extra motivated when he plays against his hometown squad. It's almost as if he circles that Cavaliers game on the calendar every season. The King doesn't visit his former kingdom until March 21 of next year, when the Lakers face the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. Until then, let's take a look at LeBron James' five best moments against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James 5 best moments vs. Cavaliers
5. Season-high 46 points, including 21 in the fourth
This is example no. 1 of LeBron James saving his best for the Cavaliers. James had a rather forgettable 2020-21 campaign, for the most part, primarily because of injury. But prior to his injury, the four-time NBA champ was balling out and had made a case to win his fifth NBA MVP trophy at the time. His greatest performance of the year came when he paid a visit to the house he built and put on a show.
Like LeBron James, however, the young Cavs looked motivated to take down the man that has already left town twice. Cleveland hung around in that game against the then-defending champs. Los Angeles held a 3-point lead with over a minute remaining until James nailed back-to-back daggers — a three-pointer on the right wing then a fadeaway turnaround — to put Cleveland away.
LeBron James ended up dropping a season-high 46 points, 21 of which came in the fourth quarter where he absolutely demolished his former team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR726Rbbh-Q
4. Clutch performance on the road
Everybody knows how LeBron James' first exit from Cleveland went down, and it's safe to say he wasn't quite welcome there whenever he made a visit as a member of the Miami Heat. In this late-season game during the 2013-14 season, Miami was in the thick of a playoff position battle for the top spot in the East. James and the Heat were locked in at that point of the season and the Cavaliers were in their way.
The lowly 2013-14 Cavs, which went just 33-49 that season, managed to give the LeBron-Wade-Bosh Heat a good run for their money. They kept the game close until the fourth quarter. But as he always does versus Cleveland, LeBron James made sure he didn't let his former team get a one-up over him.
With a little over a minute remaining in the game and Miami holding on to a 3-point lead, James made his presence felt most down the stretch on the defensive end. He blocked what could have been an easy dunk from Spencer Hawes with 1:35 to go and helped stop a driving Dion Waiters with less than 30 ticks remaining.
LeBron James, who had already won two titles with the Heat at this point, ended his night with 43 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the 4-point win.
3. Leading a 27-point comeback
This game happened in 2013, about two and a half years since LeBron made his departure from Cleveland. Still, Cavs fans never forgot and continued to boo LeBron James, who had just won his first NBA championship with the Heat in the previous Finals, whenever he touched the basketball.
The crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena was definitely having a blast watching their Cavaliers put a beat down on James and the Heat throughout the first half. Cleveland built their biggest lead of the night at 27 points halfway through the third quarter. But as we all know, basketball is a 48-minute sport. And within eight of those 48 minutes, the Heat, led by LeBron James, stormed back from that massive 27-point deficit and tied the game with still 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The game-tying shot was also the highlight of the night with James pulling up for a semi-transition 3-pointer to knot the game at 77, leaving the Cavaliers crowd stunned and disgusted.
Miami ended up completing the comeback with a 3-point win with LeBron putting up a 25-12-10 triple-double.
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2. Hostile Homecoming
In what some people described as one of the most hostile environments ever in an NBA game, James' first return to Cleveland became quite the national headline. Cavaliers fans' wounds were as fresh as ever and they did not hold back in expressing their disgust for their former superstar player by booing him whenever he touched the ball. In fact, Cavs fans were already booing even before LeBron James and Heat hit the floor.
Miami absolutely bludgeoned Cleveland in this game en route to a 118-90 win. To rub salt to those fresh wounds, it was LeBron James who spearheaded the Heat's annihilation of the Cavs. The 4-time MVP dropped 38 points on 15-of-25 shooting and scored 24 of them in the third quarter.
Honestly, there was nothing greater to witness than a helpless fanbase watching their former player absolutely destroy their team.
1. Royal homecoming this time around
Let's end on a positive note and put LeBron James' second first game back in Cleveland, now as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, as the top moment he's had against the Cavs. Of course, the reception for The King this time around was miles better, with Cleveland fans showering him with every bit of love they could give, especially since he fulfilled his promise and led the Cavs to a historic NBA championship in 2016.
The Cavaliers organization gave the four-time NBA champ a heart-warming video tribute, highlighting not just his contributions on the basketball court, but his impact and legacy off the court as well.
This ended up being a more special night for LeBron James as he helped lead the Lakers to a 109-105 come from behind victory over his former squad.
