| 2010/2011 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | VS |  |
| 11-8(2-5 Road) | 7-10(4-5 Home) | |
| December 2, 2010 | ||
| Quicken Loans Arena | ||
| 8:00 PM | ||
| Radio - WTAM 1100 / TV - TNT HD | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Carlos Arroyo | PG | Mo Williams |
| Dwyane Wade | SG | Anthony Parker |
| LeBron James | SF | Joey Graham |
| Chris Bosh | PF | J.J. Hickson |
| Zydrunas Ilgauskas | C | Anderson Varejao |
LeBron James is not Benedict Arnold or American Taliban John Walker Lindh but he is the most famous "traitor" in sports, a reviled figure in the Forest City that returns to Cleveland tonight for the first time since "The Decision" as his rudderless Miami Heat face a plucky Cavaliers club that has not completely fallen apart without the services of basketball's chosen one.
Of course James spurned the Cavs for South Beach by publicly announcing his divorce from the team in the much-hyped ESPN special "The Decision" back in July. The King chose South Beach and the chance to play with fellow "superstars" Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in an effort to win his elusive first NBA championship.
Although a pedestrian 7-10 heading into Thursday's action, the doomsday predictions that had the Cavaliers challenging the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for futility have been unfounded and Cleveland is currently holding down the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
James' Heat, meanwhile, aren't much better at 11-8 and those 70-win predictions are about to be rendered meaningless by the science of mathematics.
3-in the Key
1. The Cavs have won five in a row overall against Miami and five straight at The Q. In their last five meetings overall, the Cavs have outscored Miami 102.2-94.0.2. The Cavs bench scored 41 points against Boston Tuesday night and currently rank 1st in the NBA in bench scoring averaging 44.7 ppg, 2.5 ppg higher than Philadelphia, which ranks 2nd at 42.2 ppg. The Cavs’ bench has outscored their opponents in all but four games this season. On the year, the Cavs bench has outscored their opponent 760 (44.7 ppg) to 524 (30.8 ppg).3. This season, the Cavs have limited their turnovers, averaging only 13.4 turnovers per game, which is tied for the 3rd fewest in the league.