CLEVELAND—LeBron James took a moment after he’d been subbed out of his team’s eventual 108-89 win over the Raptors, his work done, and he heard a roar.
His stats — a 23-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double — were displayed on the big screen at Quicken Loans Arena and the sellout crowd was showing its appreciation.
James saw the numbers, saw that he’d passed Shaquille O’Neal in all-time playoff scoring and, most important, saw everything that he’d wanted when he opted to return to his hometown inching toward its completion.
James has always been magnificent, an all-time great even before he’d left Cleveland for Miami, but those Cavs teams never had the supporting cast that he won championships with as a member of the Heat.