LeBron On Opener Vs. Knicks: 'Probably One Of The Biggest Sporting Events Ever'
CLEVELAND (CBSNewYork/AP) — For LeBron James, the journey begins anew.
Right back where it began.
Cleveland's been waiting.
Nearly four months since proclaiming "I'm coming home" and shifting the NBA's balance of power, James will play Thursday night in front of family, friends and the Cleveland fans who had their hearts broken four years ago.
This is a homecoming like no other.
"None of us should take this moment for granted," a relaxed James said following Cleveland's morning shootaround at Quicken Loans Arena. "This is probably one of the biggest sporting events ever. I don't feel it, but I know it is."
A crowd of 20,000-plus that is expected to include several celebrities will be inside the Q, which was updated during the offseason with a gigantic, fire-spewing scoreboard, to welcome home James, the Akron native now back to his hoops roots to deliver a title to Cleveland, a city that has known mostly sports misery the past 50 years.
When James is introduced after new teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love as Cleveland's final starter before the Cavs tip off against the New York Knicks -- who were blown out against the Bulls on Wednesday night -- Cleveland fans will be able to put four painful years without him behind them.
This is a fresh start for everyone.
James, who has won NBA titles and Olympic gold medals, knows this season opener is a little more special.
"I understand how much I mean to this team, to this franchise, to this city and to this state," he said. "It's a different feeling, but I'm still as calm and excited at the same time because it's the first game of the season."
In the hours leading up to tip-off, thousands of fans gathered in the streets outside the arena. This was a party four years in the making.
As James spoke with reporters, a 10-story-tall Nike banner with his likeness was being readied for an unveiling in the hours leading up to tip-off.
Across the street from the Q, a 10-story-tall banner of James was unveiled in the same spot where one hung during his first seven seasons with the Cavs. The spot became a symbol of civic pride until that night in July 2010 when James announced he was leaving for Miami. In the hours after his decision, some angry fans burned his jersey and others hurled rocks at a banner that would be removed a few days later.
On Thursday, the new banner — showing James with his arms outstretched wearing a jersey with "Cleveland" where his name would normally be stitched — drew fans who posed for photos the same way they did when James was here last.
Chrissy Pavlik of Wadsworth, Ohio, and her brother, Brad, were among the fans who didn't have a ticket for the game but wanted to be downtown to celebrate.
"I grew up playing basketball and LeBron was always one of my role models, so when he left I was devastated, crying, throwing fits," she said. "To see the banner back, we drove into the city and I was like, 'Check it out, dude.' It's so cool. We're very, very happy."
Along East 4th Street, fans wearing James jerseys and broad smiles mixed with patrons lined up to get into overflowing restaurants and bars and a free concert featuring hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar and the rock band Imagine Dragons.
As they filed past, Barry Harris, 55, of Cleveland, was filled with pride. A lifelong Clevelander, he had never seen his city acting quite like this.
"It's amazing," Harris said as his twin brother, Larry, snapped pictures of ESPN's SportsCenter set. "I've been waiting 55 years for this. We got LeBron. We got Johnny (Manziel) Football. We got the Republican National convention coming in two years. We got casinos. It's huge. We deserve this."
James planned to take a nap during the afternoon — a pregame ritual for 12 years — and then check his Twitter account. On Wednesday night, he went on the social media site asking fans if he should bring back his signature pregame chalk toss.
The 29-year-old said he has considered what the charged atmosphere expected to greet him will be like when he takes the court for the first time.
"I've had thoughts of how it might be, how loud it might be, how great it is to be back on this floor," he said.
James' return has Cleveland fans believing their tortured run of sports misery, which includes a series of close calls with nicknames like The Drive, The Fumble and The Shot, could be over.
James is the one to end the curse.
"It's got to be him," Harris said. "It's got to be LeBron. It was his destiny to come back and finish his career off here. No place else."
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