LeBron James returns to Cleveland

Nobody liked it. There was a lot of negative and bad energy in the building that night. We knew it was real, but once you've entered it, you can feel it. You have no one else than your brothers, and it's you against literally everyone in this arena.

We wanted to give him a little crutch, do you know what I'm saying? Just be there for him, and take some of that weight off his shoulders and take him with him and tell him that he's not there all alone. We became definitely connected and we became closer and stronger because of that.

It was only pure negativity. If I were in the street, I would have been nervous.

Ryan Hollins, Cavs Center

When he entered the arena for layup lines, the boos were all the time. They were mixed together. It was a big roar. Wherever he went, people were shouting at him. It was not a sporting event. Even the referees did not know how to call him. It was like two kids who were thrown into a ring and said to fight.

It hurt guys wearing Cleveland uniforms. It was not about us, it was about them. It was embarrassing on both sides. People shouted at him to take off his head. They wanted a blatant mistake. They wanted us to blame him physically. Even as you watched the game, there were arguments and fights in the stands.

But you could see that he was suffering. He approached the bench and tried to talk to his former teammates. It was just weird, a strange moment. Nobody knew how to feel.

Chris Bosh, Heat Attacker

Honestly, it was – I'll be honest – it was one of those games I was most afraid of playing. The only time I was afraid of playing basketball was when I was in eighth grade and we had a fight. another team in a tournament and we had to go back to playing them. But at Cleveland's game, there was tension. That's all I'm going to say. There was tension but we came out alive.

There were times during our race – the sixth match in Boston (in 2012) of course – but that match was really hard to handle at the time because the people of Cleveland let us know how they were disappointed. Even at the point where I had a little reaction. I was like, 'Damn! I did not even play here! They called me a traitor. I was like, "Shit."

It was a very fascinating night.

Erik Spoelstra, heat trainer

The one thing I remember that was unique was walking down the hall three minutes before the game. I could feel and hear the intensity in the crowd. I have never experienced this in this arena. Then, when I went out, you could cut off the tension with a knife. It was also tangible. The feeling of extreme dislike. I do not want to use the word hate. But it was extreme, ultra disgust, disappointment and frustration, all in an emotional unity.

Rob Brown, thermal security guard

We brought four members of the security team and then police from Cleveland. It was reported that we were leaving on a surveillance mission to set up security in advance – everything was invented. We went with the regular security team and then asked for help in Cleveland. What was not manufactured are the 9-volt batteries thrown on the ground. I remember a member of the NBA security team who wanted to call the match because there were so many things happening to us during the match and we dodged behind the table brand just to not be affected.

I remember saying, "It's the most hate I've seen. . Already & # 39; Signs and looks on the faces of fans. We arrived three hours before the match and it was packed. It was loaded. There was so much anger in the air. So much passion. It was something else.

I just tried to keep my eyes on LeBron more than I normally do and stay close, even as he went to the table to play powder, or when he got into the game, constantly watching the different entries for the fans.

It was not like we were in danger danger. I think it's just more passionate people who show the passion for what they've felt, he left them and left Ohio for ease. When I think about it, just the pure hatred that I saw, that's the first thing I can say. I had never seen it that way in a closed arena. But we all went through. Nobody was hurt, we went home and it was awesome.

Rachel Nichols, ESPN journalist

Noise is what I remember most. Just waves of rage that would invade you at key moments of the evening: when LeBron came out to warm up; when he was introduced; the first time he touched the ball. At the time, I worked a lot in the NFL, and these stadiums host three or four times more people than an NBA arena. But there is something about how the volume changes when people are so angry. It was the loudest building of all year.

There were also a lot of rules for the crowd – fans were not supposed to be able to bring pejorative signs or t-shirts. I've seen people shake towels and try to put LeBron on the bench. Someone threw a battery.

It was already a shame that LeBron had to do his post-game interview with TNT's Craig Sager in one of the locker room corridors rather than on the field. At that moment, I was standing a few feet away and you could see LeBron's body language changing to the minute before the camera was in focus. It was like he had been in a high state of alert for three hours in a row and that at that time he was just starting to get back to normal .

Tad Carper, Executive Vice President of Cavs, Communications Manager

When the calendar was released, everyone knew that it was immediately becoming the most important date in Cleveland. And then the preparation started.

It's easily the most intense gaming environment that people have ever seen here – myself. The volume level of the media was equivalent to that of an Eastern Conference final. It had nearly 250 members of the accredited media and probably could have been more.

Security measures and upstream gaming meetings were extensive and involved many law enforcement agencies at the local and national levels.

This must be a totally unique circumstance. And it's not just this event and it was not just this game. All the landscape and dynamics of LeBron's career, Cavaliers franchise and Cleveland fans are unique and unprecedented in the sport. Not just the NBA. It is one of the most unique and special landscapes ever created in professional sports. It goes without saying that this game would also reflect that.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, heat center

The night before, we had played in Detroit at home so we did not go very late. Then we could not land immediately and we were going around in circles, there was a problem. This was not a good sign for me. You felt animosity as soon as we arrived. When we were in the bus. There were fans waiting at the hotel.