CLEVELAND—Carried onto the floor by an emotional ovation building for years, LeBron James is back where he began.
He’s home.
Introduced to a deafening roar from Cleveland fans, James was welcomed back on Thursday night by a city desperate to end a championship drought that’s about to turn 50 years old. James came back to try and end it, and his journey is under way.
At 8:08 p.m. all was right in Cleveland again.
That’s when James, the last starter announced, walked onto the floor in a Cavs uniform for a regular-season game for the first time in four years.
Nearly four months since proclaiming “I’m coming home” and shifting the NBA’s balance of power, James is again playing in front of family, friends and the Cleveland fans who had their hearts broken when he left for Miami four years ago.
This is a homecoming like no other.
“None of us should take this moment for granted,” a relaxed James said following Cleveland’s morning shootaround. “This is probably one of the biggest sporting events ever. I don’t feel it, but I know it is.” A crowd of 20,000-plus fans—with some paying as much as $5,000 for a ticket—packed the venue, which was updated during the off-season with a gigantic, fire-spewing scoreboard to welcome home James. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the night’s best moments came before the game, as James played poorly and the Cavs were beaten, 95-90, by the New York Knicks. James had eight turnovers, missed 10 shots and was not in sync with his new teammates.
“I’m glad it’s over,” James said.
Before taking the floor, James huddled his teammates in a hallway and told them that “tonight is special.” He then gave a playful tap to owner Dan Gilbert’s son, Nick, before walking onto the court that was his for seven seasons.
The pregame festivities ended with James going to midcourt and performing his “chalk toss” pregame ritual with fans tossing paper confetti along with him.
James, who has won National Basketball Association (NBA) titles and Olympic gold medals, knew this season opener is a little more special.
“I understand how much I mean to this team, to this franchise, to this city and to this state,” he said. “It’s a different feeling, but I’m still as calm and excited at the same time, because it’s the first game of the season.” In the hours leading up to tip-off, thousands of fans gathered in the streets outside the arena. This was a party four years in the making.
Across the street from the stadium, a huge banner of James was unveiled in the same spot where one hung during his first seven seasons with the Cavs. The spot became a symbol of civic pride until that night in July 2010, when James announced he was leaving for Miami. In the hours after his decision, some angry fans burned his jersey and others hurled rocks at a banner that would be removed a few days later.
On Thursday the new banner—showing James with his arms outstretched wearing a jersey with “Cleveland” where his name would normally be stitched—drew fans who posed for photos the same way they did when James was here last.
Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and buried a jumper with James in his face with 25 seconds left to give the Knicks a 92-87 lead.
Kyrie Irving scored 22 and Kevin Love added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavs, who have some work to do before they can start thinking about any titles. In Los Angeles Blake Griffin scored 23 points, making two free throws with five seconds left, Chris Paul added 22 to help the Clippers beat Oklahoma City, 93-90, in their season opener to usher in a new era under owner Steve Ballmer.
Los Angeles hardly resembled its new ad campaign of “Be Relentless” early on, when the Thunder scored the game’s first eight points as Ballmer cupped his hands and yelled to his team from his baseline seat near their bench.
He paid a record $2 billion to buy the team after 33-year owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA for racist remarks. The Thunder sent the Clippers packing in the second round of the playoffs last spring, shortly after the Sterling scandal erupted.
Already without injured Kevin Durant, the Thunder lost Russell Westbrook to a hand injury in the second quarter. Perry Jones scored a career-high 32 points, making nine-of-11 free throws. The Thunder are 0-2, having dropped their opener a night earlier at Portland. Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points and Dallas celebrated the return of two key pieces from the franchise’s only championship team in a home-opening 120-102 victory over Utah in Dallas.
Tyson Chandler, the center and emotional leader when Dallas beat Miami for the title three years ago, had 13 points and six rebounds in his first home game since leaving in free agency not long after celebrating the crown. JJ Barea, the diminutive guard and 2011 NBA Finals spark who was reacquired a day earlier, got a standing ovation when he came off the bench late in the first quarter. He had four points.
Derrick Favors had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who fell behind by 30 points in the first half of a tough back-to-back after an opening loss to Houston at home.
In Orlando John Wall had 30 points and 12 assists, helping Washington hold off a late surge to beat the Magic, 105-98.
Marcin Gortat added 20 points and 12 rebounds. All five starters scored in double figures as Washington earned its fifth straight victory over its division rival. The Magic trailed by three at the half, only to be outscored 28-15 in the third quarter. Orlando recovered in the fourth and rallied to trim what had been a 17-point Washington lead to two with less than a minute to play. But Wall got free for a driving lay-up to help preserve the victory.
Nik Vucevic led the Magic with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Orlando finished with 18 turnovers, matching its total from its season opener.
Thaddeus Young scored 19 points and hit a big three-pointer with 90 seconds remaining to lift Minnesota over Detroit, 97-91.
Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Ricky Rubio added 11 points, eight assists and seven boards for the Timberwolves in their home opener.
Caron Butler scored 24 points and D.J. Augustin had 20 points and six assists for the Pistons, who have opened the season with two straight losses on the road under first-year coach Stan Van Gundy.
Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but he was limited in the second half by foul trouble and the Timberwolves held off a late charge from Butler and the Pistons.
Tom Withers / The Associated Press