This team has disgraced CLEVELAND tonight

[Biw]

2 hours and a half. I ate some food after I had 2 lokos.

I drink lokos a lot, I bought about two cases of them when they were getting banned. I usually drink 3 every Friday and then pass out after, so four isn't that big of a deal.

However, I played the Call of Duty drinking game(which I know not many do, considering not many have no lives who play this game and hide all day in their mom's basement and eat cereal all day in their boxers), which makes me drink every time I die, and when I die double digits after games I take a shot.


I'm 6'0, 182 pounds.. Not my fault you're a pussy and can't handle much alcohol.

Haha, that's a pretty good idea.

 

[Birdy89]

Cleveland is just getting lit up right now by the national media and the general public at large from what I have seen for the most part.

2 things I have seen/heard multiple times are that 1) how in the world can you roll over and lay an egg like that in the only relevant game you will play all year in front of a crowd like that, and 2) that Lebron in retrospect was nearly super-human to have dragged that group of bums to 127 wins over the past 2 regular seasons when without him we are a doormat.

I am not sure this could have gone any worse for us on so many different levels.

At least Gilbert had the foresight to get people to pay for their season tickets last year, otherwise I suspect the attendance at the Q the rest of this year would make a Tribe/Royals series in late September at Jacobs field seem like a packed house.

 

[Rich]

Cleveland is just getting lit up right now by the national media and the general public at large from what I have seen for the most part.

2 things I have seen/heard multiple times are that 1) how in the world can you roll over and lay an egg like that in the only relevant game you will play all year in front of a crowd like that, and 2) that Lebron in retrospect was nearly super-human to have dragged that group of bums to 127 wins over the past 2 regular seasons when without him we are a doormat.

I am not sure this could have gone any worse for us on so many different levels.

At least Gilbert had the foresight to get people to pay for their season tickets last year, otherwise I suspect the attendance at the Q the rest of this year would make a Tribe/Royals series in late September at Jacobs field seem like a packed house.

Again, this team does not have Delonte West or Shaq on it. This is not the same team LBJ played with.

I truly don't care what the national media thinks of the team. I never have. It sucks right now. It needs to be rebuilt. I mean the Clippers hav been terrible for 20 years, so why should I care about being hammered by the media for being down a single year?

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

2 hours and a half. I ate some food after I had 2 lokos.

I drink lokos a lot, I bought about two cases of them when they were getting banned. I usually drink 3 every Friday and then pass out after, so four isn't that big of a deal.

However, I played the Call of Duty drinking game(which I know not many do, considering not many have no lives who play this game and hide all day in their mom's basement and eat cereal all day in their boxers), which makes me drink every time I die, and when I die double digits after games I take a shot.


I'm 6'0, 182 pounds.. Not my fault you're a pussy and can't handle much alcohol.

I love when people brag about their alcohol tolerance, true measure of manhood there. :chuckles: To be honest I have no idea how a four loko would effect me, I've never had more than a taste of one. I was just speaking from stories I've heard from various other people.

 

[CavsRules]

I love when people brag about their alcohol tolerance, true measure of manhood there. :chuckles: To be honest I have no idea how a four loko would effect me, I've never had more than a taste of one. I was just speaking from stories I've heard from various other people.

Who said anything about being a man or showing their tolerance of alcohol?

I'm sure anybody who drinks at least twice a week can handle 4 four lokos while eating after two, and after 5 shots of vodka and 2 others. I mean really, is it that hard?

I've seen buddies handle more shots and more lokos than myself.. I by no means think I have a high tolerance. Although I do believe I can handle somewhat a lot of alcohol, it doesn't mean handling the kinda alcohol I did today doesn't mean I'm this big tough guy or anything.

 

[btljc]

I don't mind the loss it's the way the Cavs showed up as if nothing happened. They weren't even fouling Him hard. These players should realize that they are there because of the fans and the fans absolutely hate Lebron. It was a downer.

 

[Rimage]

I'm just happy the fans didn't do anything stupid. I didn't see anything positive coming out of this other than possibly a win. I mean something crazy happens and the city is classless. If everyone is relatively well behaved, we are soft. The team looked bad though...no fire with this group. They counter-acted everything that this crowd brought. They laughed and joked with him and made him feel at ease. He proceeded to have a great game against them and they seemingly could careless. I mean just from a basketball professional stand point, why are you comforting the guy? Baffling. And couple that with how you KNOW the fans feel about it...just sad. Nobody on this team understands. I want a team I can root for, win or lose.....these guys aren't it.

 

[johnny]

If a team was ever supposed to truly represent a city and not just a franchise with a city's name tacked onto it, it was last night. If we at least keep that game competitive, we're "America's team" if only for a night...instead the city and team are laughing stocks and the talk is, "No wonder Lebron left." To me, "The Return" was a bigger Cleveland sports tragedy than The Decision. Last night was pretty much the worst case scenario outside of a Malice at the Palace type fight. It was a nightmare.

Our players obviously didn't care to represent the fans last night and it's been apparent with their lack of passion for a few weeks most of them are hoping to coast through the rest of the season. I'm not gonna disown Boobie and other players we've all liked for just this, but I'd love to make some trades soon.

 

[Phills14]

I too was disappointed but not shocked at the Cavs response to Lebron last night. They should not have acted the way they did. The best they should have done was to nod or say hello from a far to Lebron. Joking, hugging, laughing with him was unaccpetable from competitive athletes turned into serious rivals. Lebron hurt all of them just as bad as he hurt us the fans. Still I'm not surprised at the reaction.

NBA players take things a little differently than we as fans do. They are young, many times immature and really are looking to have as much fun as they can. They don't get caught up in all the drama because they either don't care or don't understand it. Lebron was their friend and in some cases still is. Many athletes, not just NBA players, are like this. Just watch a game between The Steelers and the Browns. Those guys are out hugging before and after the game. THey go to dinner together, they hit the clubs together. Rivalry in professional sports is not the same as it was and it's not the way a hard core fan wants it to be. The only true rivalrys happen in the High School and College level. Those are real. Those are fun to watch. When you make all the participates millionaires, it makes the competition level flatten out and people are playing for themselves and their bank accounts rather than the name on the front of their jersey.

So bash the Cavs players all you want but I really don't think many of you should be surprised by the reaction. Unfortunately, that's how professional athletes handle their business now a days.

 

[sailfish]

Last night made me proud to be a native Clevelander and, at the same time, embarassed to be a Cavaliers fan. What a disgraceful performance by the Cavaliers players. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Not only did they lay an egg in terms of their performance, but they allowed LeBron James to come over to their bench and basically rape them one by one for all to watch on national tv. LeBron was clearly their daddy and the Cavaliers appeared to be afraid of him, so they just seemingly laid down.

A team is supposed to represent a city. Apparently this group of Cavaliers players failed to get the memo. While the fans showed passion, the players were flat & spineless. Absolutely pathetic!

If I'm Dan Gilbert I'm livid. I want this team torn down and to re-start from scratch. Trade Boobie Gibson to Miami, where he can play with the man he so clearly worships, LeBron.

Until then, I wouldn't invest any more $$ in this spineless bunch. I don't live in Cleveland anymore, so, for me, that won't be hard at all. I would encourage others to do the same. Send a message to Dan Gilbert that we, as fans, simply deserve better than this.

 

[Noonan]

Windy's take. Props to Mo and Varejao for having stones. What Boobie did will be hard to forgive.

LeBron Looks Like Old Self In Cleveland

By Brian Windhorst
ESPN.com
CLEVELAND -- It used to be LeBron James' favorite little corner in the NBA, the place he felt safest and happiest and most at home.

It's the space right in front of the Cavaliers bench and along the nearby baseline. For James, more emotional moments have unfolded in that spot than in all of the gyms across the country and around the world.

He has celebrated uncountable great players there; flexing his muscles, smiling or growling with delight.

He's danced there. He's posed for fake pictures with his teammates there.

He's held his son on his lap there. He's embraced his buddies and bosses who had season tickets there -- everyone from Jay-Z to Warren Buffett to Phil Knight.

He kissed his mother there on his way to the locker room after winning the Eastern Conference title.

Thursday night in a hot and venomous crucible, it was both surprising and understandable that it was where he found comfort and shelter.

Right in front of the Cavs bench and, as it now has become, owner Dan Gilbert's courtside seats, James found his Most Valuable Player groove that has been largely missing during his time with the Miami Heat.

James was masterful in his return to Cleveland in the Heat's 118-90 win over the Cavs. It was far and away his best game since joining Miami and perhaps one of the best regular-season performances of his career considering the unique circumstances.

Simply and oddly, James looked like a Cav again.

"It was impressive," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It takes a special player and a person to be able to respond to all of this scrutiny."

James responded by celebrating many of his baskets, the return of his jumper and the consequences of his decision precisely at his favorite spot. He followed shot after shot in a stunning third quarter, during which he scored 24 points on a dizzying 10-of-12 shooting. James gestured and yelled at his old teammates. He made faces at the owners' seats as he swaggered upcourt.

It was what he's always done, and, without any apparent fear of retribution from a stunned Cavs team, he fell right into his old habits. The hotter he got the more demonstrative he was, zipping past the bench with his head bouncing and his eyes rolling.

Just like old times.

"It was seven great years here," James said afterward, basking in his 38-point night. "A lot of memories here."

One memory James didn't seem to remember was the last time he was in that corner. Sitting on the end of the bench for the last minutes of the Cavs' humiliating Game 5 loss to the Celtics last May, he and Gilbert were 10 feet apart but never looked at each other.

That game was one of the worst of his career. He and his team failed on a massive stage, and James ultimately left Cleveland.

The stakes weren't the same on Thursday but the pressure felt just as intense. This time James delivered a superstar performance, all of which made the celebrating harder to watch for the overly emotional fans -- and perhaps the Cavs players.

"I know those guys and we've had a lot of battles on the same court," James said. "So it was fun to have an opportunity to go against them."

Before the game several Cavs, including former friend Mo Williams, shunned James as he tried to come over to the bench to greet them. During the first half, James wandered over to talk to the bench only to have several players completely ignore him.

Others, including friend Daniel Gibson, treated it like it was 2009 as they chatted James up.

By the third quarter, when James was on fire and the game was getting out of hand, the only reaction came from Anderson Varejao, who swiped James' headband off his head and tossed it aside when James was brazen enough to again step over to his favorite spot.

"I really didn't see that," Cavs coach Byron Scott said, perhaps trying to be pragmatic on a night when his team had many other problems to examine. It is hard to believe Scott, a veteran of the Celtics-Lakers wars, could endorse such behavior.

"I'm not really worried about that," Scott said. "That stuff is what he does most games."

This was not most games. This was one of the most demanding moments of James' young career. Cleveland used the evening to speak to him. Early in the game, the crowd poured out pain in waves of noise with more energy than has ever been felt in Quicken Loans Arena.

James answered them by reminding them what they'd lost and did it in the same fashion he'd won them over. Right down to the few square feet he made a centerpiece of his days as a Cav.

"I'm satisfied and happy right now," James said. "I understand [fans'] frustration. But I'm moving on."

 

[CHIMOCHIS]

@JPosnanski (Joe Posnanski)
People kept asking Cleveland fans not to embarrass themselves. Good thing. The Cavs players have taken that role for themselves.

 

[cav jvl]

If I'm Dan Gilbert, I'm dropping a bomb on this roster right after the clock strikes triple zero. Getting raped on national TV is embarrassing enough, but huddled up on the bench waiting in line to slurp Lebron when he walks by is just too much.

This is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. Nobody should be safe after this bullshit.

Absolutely!! Blow this shit up. Trade anybody with any value for picks...JJ soon before the rest of the league realizes he cannot play. I can't believe not one guy on this team stepped up.

 

[Surge]

Cavs fans made the city look GREAT last night, and every national outlet knows that.

I can't explain how embarrassed I am to have to root for these guy the way they played last night, but I will continue to do so.

Much love from Florida. Keep hope alive! It will get better... We have a great owner, it won't be like this forever....

 

[MYoung23]

Word is Derek Anderson was outraged by the Cavaliers demeanor on the bench.