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Clevelanders laughing as LeBron loses
When the Dallas Mavericks finished off the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, the happiness in Dallas may have been eclipsed in only one place, Cleveland, the city that Heat star LeBron James left to take his talents to South Beach.
CNN affiliate WOIO-TV in Cleveland had a one-word headline on its sports page under a picture of James holding up his Heat jersey: "LOSER!"
"LeBron James still has no rings,"Â the site's story began.
Cleveland.com quickly jumped on James' failure to bring a championship to Miami, something he promised would happen multiple times when he and former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh joined Heat superstar Dwayne Wade in Miami.
The site posted a video of James, Wade and Bosh made as Miami celebrated their arrival last July.
"It looks even sillier after the Dallas Mavericks clinched the NBA title with their win at Miami tonight," the site says. "Hear James say, 'The way we're gonna challenge each other to get better in practice, once the game starts, I mean it's gonna be easy.'
"Best of all, hear James count up of how many championships Miami will win. No limit."
Cavs fans may be chuckling over that Monday morning, but Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel writes they were laughing at James as they watched from a Cleveland bar during Sunday night's game.
"A crowd of Clevelanders gathered here to watch their onetime hero turned all-time traitor, and with each disinterested LeBron offensive possession, each failed LeBron chase down of Jason Terry, each embarrassing LeBron crunch-time turnover, the prevailing emotion was simple.
"Laughter.
"They weren’t hating LeBron here. They were laughing at him," Wetzel writes.
SI.com's Michael Rosenberg says James needs to take the loss the right way, with a heavy dose of humility that is needed to achieve true greatness.
"I hope he acknowledges that he brought this criticism upon himself and, I hope he admits it publicly and candidly. ... But after a year of being hated, LeBron can change and show the humility and desire we admire in all of our best athletes."
As far as becoming a true champion, James could learn a lesson from the Mavericks and their star, NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, writes Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Jennifer Floyd Engel.
"On its very best day, the game is about a guy like Dirk refusing to quit, to give into the doubt, to fail. And his guys, like (Mavs' coach Rick) Carlisle and (teammate Jason) Terry, backing him up. And not about an egomaniacal athlete named LeBron."
SI.com's Chris Mannix writes that Nowitzki's Mavericks won as a team and James' Heat "abandoned any semblance of a team game in favor of selfish, one-on-one play."
SI.com's Ian Thomsen points out that in getting his first NBA title, Nowitzki took a course that James rejected.
"He had drawn strength from playing with the same teammates year after year. Altogether he and they built a championship team that James and his newly assembled Heat could not beat. As far as they had come in one season together, they hadn't had enough time to resolve issues that had taken the Mavericks' several years to overcome," Thomsen writes.
As the game finished Sunday night, Nowitzki bolted off the court in Miami's American Airlines Arena toward the visitor's locker room. He wanted to cry alone, writes ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
"I could already feel the tears coming," Stein quotes Nowtizki as saying. "I had to recover, bro."
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in an ESPN interview that Nowitzki "had the heart of a lion." Watch what else he had to say about his team's first NBA championship.
While Cuban was talkative Sunday night, he changed his form and stayed out of the spotlight during his team's playoff run, writes Jeff Caplan on ESPNDallas.com.
And now he has an NBA championship trophy and apparently he's not letting go of it. At least that's what it looks like on his Twitpic account.
One of those congratulating Cuban was Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who posted on his Twitter account: "Congrats to Mark C. & entire Mavs org. Mavs NEVER stopped & now entire franchise gets rings. Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE."
Even a former Cavalier, Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams, was happy to see his old teammate James without a championship ring.
"Dallas just healed my HEART," Williams tweeted.
Half a world away, hearts were cheered too in Wurzburg, Germany, where fans of the NBA Finals MVP and hometown hero Dirk Nowitzki partied into the night, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.
And at least Cavaliers fan had a warning for a possible finals fallout:
"Just be careful when shipping the Miami Heat champs T-shirts to the poor in Guatemala," NBA.com quoted Avon, Ohio's, Nathan Obral as saying. "They could be a choking hazard."
On Twitter
Hey Dan Gilbert, hey Cleveland, Miami won the East. Cleveland STILL sucks no matter what. You have absolutely NOTHING to laugh at.
Hey Johnny, when are you going to grow up and use a man's name? Put down the sack lover magazine and lotion, wipe up you mess and get back to school.
Cleveland laughing because James made it to the finals and they didn't???????
Miami had a stacked team and still lost. Lebron's antics (i.e. 'The Decision' + others) to make a spectacle out of leaving Cleveland behind to join an already overpaid team was unprofessional. In Cleveland had about the same chances of winning that this Miami team had. They had the best record in the NBA 2 seasons in a row, and Lebron choked against the Celtics in his last season with the Cavs in the playoffs. Lebron choked again with the Heat. That's the joke.
But they still made it to the finals..!! Just saying!!
Players gain respect by their personal actions on and off the court. Until James matures and becomes a man, he won't ever get the respect of the sports world.
Give it up Cleavland. The guy took another job.
Miami got trashed. Everything about Miami sucks... this is no surprise to me.
Well, at least Miami isn't Cleveland....
Hey Paul. I lived in both cities and I can tell you Cleveland is a toxic, polluted s*** hole. The weather sucks, the air smells, there are dead and dying fish floating in the rivers. Terrible place to live. On the other hand, Miami is like a tropical paradise that even when your working you feel like your on vacation. Lebron made the right choice. Everything about Cleveland sucks.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmFEYMoeSyQ&w=640&h=360]
This sums it up!!!!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmFEYMoeSyQ&w=640&h=360]
Lets look at the facts: You say Clevland sucks but if you go to Forbes.com and look at the 2011 top miserable cities in the U.S., Miami was ranked number 2! I got to admit we was #1 last year but fell to #10 this year. the city of Cleveland shows improvement while Miami doesn't. We have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The 2nd largest theater district,The Cleveland Symphony (best in the country), The #1 cardiothoracic hospital in the world (the Cleveland Clinic), 40 minutes away from the NFL hall of fame, and hour and 15 minute drive from the #1 amusement park in country (Cedar Point),the #3 art museum. The summers are perfect.The fishing is great. Cleveland is also the site for multiple motion pictures i.e. The Christmas Story and the upcoming Avengers movie. Other than Miami having better weather,what does the #2 most miserable city in the country has to offer?
Hey Steve, I've lived and worked all over the country (including Miami and currently in Cleveland). You couldn't cut it here. Personally I love it, and wouldn't move to Miami for any reason. No character, no strength, and no charm.
At least he went to the finals! I think the losers are the Cavs because they're still crying over him leaving!
You know, Mr. and Mrs Media, perhaps the world would not dislike James quite so much if you would stop worshipping him so much. It is purely because of your consistantly manufacturing of Lebron-hype, Mr. and Mrs Media, that we can't stand him.
He may indeed be the next best thing since Jordan but most of us no longer care because he's all you talk about. Well, him and whatever team he's on at the moment.
The media never gave Dallas any ounce of respect this entire series. Never once gave credit to a team that, get this, plays like a TEAM. Yeah, we have Dirk, but it isn't just about one franchise player with the Mavs. The entire team works together.
So, Mr. and Mrs Media, here's a one-finger salute to you and your over-the-top James lovefest.
You sir are right on the money!
How many championships do the Cavs have? They should concentrate on that. Oh yeah, the answer is zero, with or without LeBron. Besides the ill-conceived "Decision", why are people so upset at a move that is made all the time by free agents. I mean it's business, right?
it's not just because he took another job. A lot of people dislike him because of it one hour narcissistic Decision he made last year on ESPN, and the fact the he really believes he is better than everyone else when he seems to choke every year in the playoffs.
I'm glad you fans in Cleveland are getting such a chucle out of Lebron losing, the fact of the matter is he made with further in the playoffs with Miami than he ever did with the Cavaliers, so the joke is really on you Cleveland. Are you still laughing now? Keep your head high Lebron, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Celebrate the fact you left that team that went NOWHERE this year and will continue to go NOWHERE in the future.
Paul you idiot. He made exactly as far as he did in Cleveland. Stick to commenting about stories you know something about. If you can find one that is.
Ignorance is bliss.... Cleveland did make it to the finals. You are obviously not an NBAfan so please move on to the TMZ message boards.
Get real. do you not realize that the cavs went to the finals with lebron. oh, and as i remember, he didnt show up for that series either.
Leaveland fans laughing at Lebron? When your team (and your town) sucks that bad, you need to be laughing at yourself. To paraphrase Charliei Sheen, LOSING!
Really??? Go freshen up you spray on tan, wax your nuts, tattoo boobs on your back, and wait for your boyfriend to make you bite the pillow.
I think everyone outside of South Florida are getting a chuckle. This is Karma at its best.
And all this comes from a bunch of loosers who can't win a quarter of their games. HAAAAA
Cleveland fans are a bunch of LOOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Umm.. Losers spell "loser" "looser". Your IQ is on display.
Mix in a dictionary dumba$$... it's losers.
John, please learn how to spell. And Cleveland fans are not the losers, LeBron James and Company are the ones getting paid to win, and they lost. That makes the team the losers, not the fans. LeBron's ego needs to step down a notch if he ever wants to win at anything in life.
Laura I think a LOT of people forget that all 3 men took huge pay cuts. In fact they are not getting PAID to win. They know that they will be judged in the end based upon how many championships they have won. Don't kid yourself. DIRK wouldn't be a household name if he didn't win. Do you remember the last 10 teams to lose to the winner of the NBA finals, the superbowl, or the Stanley Cup without googling?...doubt it.
nah we're all laughing at leCHOKE because he said he would win a championship in cleveland, but when he got close and failed, he runs to D WADE so he can win a championship "easier" and yet still he chokes. WE laugh at LeBron because he can talk the talk, but he can't walk the walk. He acts as if he's some sort of "KING" and then when it comes time for him to do something for his team in crunch time, he passes and hides from the ball and misses when he does have it. LEBRON JAMES IS THE MOST OVERRATED PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA.
in reality, you laugh because you are too stupid to realize you have nothing to laugh at....seriously, you live in OHIO....you should be crying and then eating a bullet....and I don't live in Florida, I don't care about basketball and I certainly don't care about LeBron....so, let's get realistic here....you are laughing to try and make your pathetic life seem less pathetic...but at the end of the day, you're still stuck in ohio, and still stuck being you....
No matter how bad it gets people can be thankful that at least they are not Rob.
hey rob, eat a d**k. we laugh because miami is getting a dose of what we've been going through the last seven years. we laugh because lebron thinks he's untouchable, and he always seems to shrink when it matters most. we laugh because he left to be in a better position to win a championship, and it seems as though he is in the same spot hes been in with cleveland.
I'm pretty sure Rob is either LeBron James or his mother. Otherwise you sure do have some twisted fixation on Cleveland. Maybe you weren't successful enough to make it there? Only explanation for your obsession.
I guess we all witnessed what a real champaion is like, GO DIRK!!!!!!
They lost, yeah. IN THE FINALS. They at least made it further than every other team, save one. They're first year together too. The better team won (congrats to the Mavs who deserved their well earned victory) but you guys are laughing at the Eastern Conference Champions, and they made it that far because they DIDN'T suck. The "dream team" made it all the way to the finals during their first year together. Quite an accomplishment in and of itself.
exactly....it takes teams roughly 3 years to start playing together at their highest level....being in the finals 2 years before your peak isn't something to laugh at.
The Buffalo Bills were AFC Champions four years straight. It's not an accomplishment if they can't bring home a trophy though.
How's the weather in Miami today?
better than in cleveland....as always
It is 72 and sunny here in Cleveland today. Perfect.
not perfect....still cleveland
I so agree, the HEAT should be proud of what they did this year through all the trials and tribulations. We'll get em next year. LeBron is still the best player in the league, no matter what!
Sounds like we have a lot of James lovers posting here.
Well get this, we're laughing at James...and Wade...here is Dallas. Laughing hard and hoping that sting lasts a long time.
You are right, they did make it far. But that is not the point, as Lebron all but virtually guaranteed a championship at the beginning of the year. Remember, when they all came out dancing and celebrating.
Congrads on the championship! Dallas deserve it especially dirk! I'm from Chicago and I wish Chicago could have kicked out those cry babies but whaaaatever lol as long as they don't have it then I'm good congrads! Lol this is sad it really was good vs bad game I guess good things happen to good players =)
I don't get it
The Mavs have been struggling to win the championship for YEARS , with essentially the same team, and finally did it.
Now all this talk about how great they are and how much the Heat suck?
I think that I'd take the Heat over the Mavs over the next 10 years.
Maybe Nowitzki will be 47 and still popping those lame fades from the freethrow line?
Somehow I doubt it.
True LeBron could have posted 35-12-12 every game, and he didn't, and maybe that's why they lost. I'd still take him and the Heat in a series over the Mavs. They got lucky this year, all the stars aligned for them. The Heat obviously need to suck to lose.
And I bet he's laughing because he's a millionaire, well known around the world and your not. Who's laughing now?