With debate spreading from Twitter all the way to the Boston Celtics’ locker room, LeBron James finally offers some clarity on whether or not he will be tossing his trademark chalk into the air within Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night.
Sort of.
James told Heat beat reporter Ira Winderman that he will “probably” will toss chalk prior to the game’s tip-off as it’s “his ritual.”
James’ former teammate Shaquille O’Neal recently went on record saying that there are bets that James would take one game off from his talcum toss. Current teammate Dwyane Wade said that if James did not do it, he would step in for him a la Anderson Varejao.
“I wouldn’t expect him to do nothing different,” said Wade. “He’s done it for every game he’s played so why change it just for one game? If he doesn’t throw it up, I’ll throw it up for him.”
In an interview with WKNR, former Plain Dealer beat writer Brian Windhorst discussed the possibility of James attempting to visit former teammates within the home team locker room. Thinking is that many Cavaliers, despite the “everyone is friends” era of the NBA, are not happy that James turned his back on them in the fashion which he did and stepping foot into the Wine and Gold locker room would not be thought highly of.
James did give a half-hearted thank you to the city of Cleveland on Wednesday, thanking the fans for “allowing him to showcase his talents” for seven years as well as growing from a boy into what he considers to be man. But with regard to what he expects on Thursday, whether or not he opts to power up The Q, James rekindled the “tough” bit, originally coined at The Decision.
“I think it’s going to be tough,” James said. “I’m there to win a basketball game. I understand how passionate the fans are about sports. I’m ready for whatever response that I’m going to get.”
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