The Cavaliers routed the hapless Nets last night, giving LeBron James another chance to see for himself how little talent one of his offseason suitors has. It was just a walk in the park for LeBron and the Cavs, who got the job done and got out of there without expending much effort.
Still, LeBron was booed by Nets fans because … well, he didn’t dunk it hard enough, or something. For that, they should be commended, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
Unlike Knicks fans, Net fans last night didn’t plead for James to sign this summer with the worst team in the NBA.
They booed him.
They taunted him.
For all that, they deserve a round of applause.
In a league that’s gone totally soft, starting with the Garden fans who show up for games to cheer for James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and other visiting superstars, the boos were good to hear at the Meadowlands during the Cavs’ 111-92 win.
It wasn’t what you’d call a hostile crowd. But twice the fans didn’t approve of the way James dunked the ball on breakaways. His two-handed drops were seen as too ordinary. Each time James completed the dunk, boos rained down from the crowd of 17,502.
Yeah, you tell him Nets fans! The Nets may be 6-54, but their fans are not soft! They’ll stand up for the good old days of the league, when people got into fights and everyone hated each other. The movement starts in New Jersey, but don’t worry, it’s just beginning. Soon, Lakers fans will boo LeBron too, and all will be right in Mitch Lawrence’s world, because that’s how it always used to be. Right? Right?
For his part, LeBron had this to say about the Nets.
“I think it’s a really, really good franchise,” James said. “They’ve got a bright future, and we’ll see what goes on in the future for this team.”
My guess is that he followed that line with “off the record, I’m never signing here, because the team stinks and I’m used to fans kissing up to me.” Or something.