LeBron James will make his return to his former homecourt as the Cleveland Cavaliers collide with the Miami Heat in a Christmas Day showdown on Thursday at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
James spent four years in Miami, where he won two NBA championships with the Heat. Heading into his first game back in Miami since deciding to return to Cleveland, James admitted that he is expecting an emotional game against his former team and teammates.
"To say I haven't thought about going back, I would be lying," James said via ESPN. "It's going to be great to be back in that building around those unbelievable fans and the memories will definitely come back, being a part of the organization for four years."
James previously said that he wanted to stay in Miami despite losing against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, but he wanted to give back to Cavaliers fans.
For former teammate Dwyane Wade, Miami fans should show respect to James when he makes his return to their home floor on Tuesday, saying that the four-time Most Valuable Player has accomplished a lot of things in a Heat uniform in the past four seasons.
Wade, who is still in contact with his former teammate, said that Miami fans should not blame James for leaving the Heat, pointing out that the Akron, Ohio native made the best decision for him and his family moving forward.
Heat forward Udonis Haslem, one of James' closest friend during their four-year partnership in Miami, echoed Wade's statement, saying that he knows the feeling of prioritizing his hometown team having done the same thing in his entire 12-year career in the NBA.
James and the Cavaliers will look to extend their three-game winning run to improve to 18-10, while the Heat will try to get back on track after losing to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, 91-87, on Tuesday at home.
The Heat might have to bounce back without All-Star power forward Chris Bosh, who remains doubtful for Thursday's Christmas matchup due to a calf injury. The 30-year-old is averaging 21.6 points to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Heat this season.
The Cavaliers-Heat Christmas showdown will kick off at 5 p.m. EST and will be shown live on ABC. Fans can also catch the action through online live streaming via ABC Go.
