ESPN NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown discussed key NBA on Christmas Day storylines on a media conference call. In the second game of ABC’s doubleheader, the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade host the Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James’ first game back in Miami at 5 p.m.
So what kind of reception will Lebron James receive? A standing ovation? Booed mercilessly? Something in between?
“I would be stunned if he did not get a standing ovation, and also that it stayed a standing ovation for a while, mainly because of what he accomplished while he was there and how far he took that situation,” said Brown on the topic of Lebron James coming back to South Beach.
“Not only the rings, but also the sellout crowds on a nightly basis, the total excitement of the four seasons. I mean, three times in The Finals, all right. And then the fact that the team played so well during those period of times.”
“So his contribution during that time period of being First Team All NBA, the MVPs, and then also the playoffs and then his total production of world renowned acceptance as being a No. 1 player in the game, I just can’t possibly see that a sports crowd as knowledgeable as Miami would not reciprocate and honor what the guy did for the franchise.”
So in a matter of hours we’ll see how things pan out for Lebron James and the Cavs. We’ll see how the Miami fans respond.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2