(CNN) On his second visit to Cleveland Tuesday since he took his talents to South Beach, the Miami Heat's LeBron James found no place to park and no victory on the court.
The former Cavaliers star and reigning NBA MVP was booed every time he touched the ball in Quicken Loans Arena, and though he posted a triple-double - 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds - it was not enough top bring down the Cavs, who posted a 102-90 win.
Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert, who pilloried James for deserting the Cavs and Cleveland last summer, saluted the hometown fans after Tuesday's game.
"I'm in awe of the fans of Cleveland," The Plain Dealer quoted Gilbert as saying on his way out of the building. "They stood behind this team all year."
While the Cavs game James' team fits on the court, Gilbert's staff gave James fits on his way into the arena Tuesday, ESPN.com reported.
When James and his entourage arrived in a two-car convoy for the Heat's morning shootaround, ESPN reported, arena staff denied the vehicles entry to the arena's underground parking garage.
James left, returned later sans his associates, and was granted access, according to the ESPN report. A Cavs' official told ESPN that visiting players are not usually given private car access to the garage.
While the incident didn't seem to rattle James on the court Tuesday night, it did provide some Twitter fodder for Gilbert.
"Not in our garage!!" he tweeted after the win, according to ESPN.
James' first return visit to Quicken Loans Arena on December 2 resulted in a 28-point Heat victory. The loss seem to rip the heart out of the Cavaliers, who had only won x games since.
No comments:
Post a Comment