LeBron James Receives Standing Ovation From Cavaliers Fans While Sitting Courtside For Playoff Game

There was a time when LeBron receiving an ovation in Cleveland after having left the franchise was unimaginable. James might have already become the greatest player in franchise history by 2010 when he left them in a stunning move for the Miami Heat. His jerseys were burnt all over the state of Ohio that evening, but he redeemed himself by returning to the franchise in 2014.

James won a title for the Cavaliers in 2016, taking them to four consecutive Finals. The three losses at the time saw James go up against an overmatched Warriors dynasty, especially in the 2018 NBA Finals, where James single-handedly carried the Cavs to the NBA Finals and won over any remaining fans who doubted his commitment to the city.

When he left the franchise in the summer of 2018 for the second time, everyone understood the move. Now, James can revel in the love he earned by being the greatest player in franchise history by a country mile.

James won one NBA title, one Finals MVP, and two league MVPs in Cleveland while averaging 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.

The Celtics Once Built A Superteam To Stop LeBron James

With the Cavaliers and Celtics embroiled in a playoff battle right now, it's hard to ignore LeBron's incredible contributions in past series' between the franchises. In his book, league insider Jeff Benedict revealed that the Celtics were designed to stop LeBron James.

“Nobody understood superteams more than Pat Riley and Danny Ainge, and Ainge is up running the Celtics, Riley’s down in Miami running the Heat,” Benedict said. “The whole thing with [Kevin] Garnett and [Ray] Allen and [Paul] Pierce, what’s he doing? He’s trying to beat LeBron. He’s trying to make sure that the Celtics can beat LeBron because he knows how good LeBron is.”

James made the NBA Finals in 2007 and the Celtics responded by assembling their big three that summer, beating James' Cavaliers in 2008 and 2010. James responded to the adversity by creating an even stronger superteam in Miami, where he never lost to the Celtics again.

LeBron had some iconic moments against the Celtics, but those moments came when he wore a Miami Heat jersey, including his incredible 2012 Game 6 performance where he put up 45 points and 15 rebounds to turn the momentum of a 2-3 series deficit into a seven-game series win. 

The 2024 Cavaliers fell to a 3-1 deficit after Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell missed Game 4 of their series against the Celtics. They beat a hobbled Heat in Round 1 and are nearing a win over a hobbled Cavaliers in Round 2. They'll face either an inexperienced Pacers or hobbled Knicks squad in the Conference Finals, making them massive favorites to advance to the NBA Finals from the East.