Love Lost

All eyes go to Cleveland tomorrow night as self-proclaimed "King of Akron" LeBron James returns to the Quicken Loans Arena for the first time as a visitor. by Jeff Laboon

The atmosphere will be hostile and the crowd will be loud. Every Cavs fan circled this date on their calendar: December 2, the day the King returns to his throne. At 7-10, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and sit only 2.5 games behind of the 10-8 Miami Heat.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who infamously said "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE" in an open letter to fans following "The Decision," banned all anti-James shirts from the Q for Thursday's game. Extra security will also be on hand to protect James.

(The burning of 23.)

Gilbert and Cleveland didn't want LeBron to leave. The city and ownership tried its best to make LeBron feel wanted including an extremely corny song titled "Please Stay LeBron." The Cavs front office even courted Tom Izzo to please James. But, as we know now, these efforts were not enough. The immediate fallout of James' decision was rather gruesome. Some fans downplayed James' legacy and abilities, claiming that he quit on the team during the postseason, while others made mocking Photoshops. Some fans even burned Cavs jerseys and shirt bearing James' name and set fire to James' effigies. The Great Lakes Brewing Company made a bitter tasting beer called "Quitness" in honor of James to be sold on a first come-first serve basis.

But the dust has settled. One hundred and seventy-seven days separate "The Decision" and LeBron's return to the Q. The Cavs even changed their logo and court in this time. But CavFanatics haven't forgotten and they probably won't forget until the Cavs make a championship run. Until that day, these regular season home games against James and the Heat will serve as a reminder of what could have been.

(The hero returns as the villain Thursday night at 8pm on TNT.)

Yes, the crowd will serenade the "Chosen One" with a chorus of boos as he steps onto the court that he made famous to play in front of his hometown and every miss or turnover by James will be met with mocking applause and bitter laughs. This will be the most important game the Cavs play in the first half of this season. CavsFanatics will feel the sting of their hero's decision with every Heat playoff appearance and prime-time game.

Nothing can bring James back, but a win tomorrow night can momentarily ease the pain.