"Crazy" reception greets James, Ilgauskas
View full sizeLeBron James was apparently unaffected by the Cavaliers fans' outrage, scoring 14 points in the first half of Thursday's game.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas walked into The Q on Thursday night, took one look at the media mob and smiled.
"I've been here so many times, but I've never seen so many reporters and media lining the hallways 21/2 hours before the game," he said. "It was crazy. I really have not seen anything like that yet as far as attention on one game."
Like LeBron James, Ilgauskas was making his first visit to the Q since signing as a free agent with the Heat last summer. After clearing security, he took a short walk down the hall to the tiny visitors locker room, which was crowded with reporters waiting to talk to him.
"Visitors locker room after 14 years is a little bit odd," admitted Ilgauskas, who is the franchise's all-time leader in games played, rebounds and blocked shots. "I've never been in this locker room before."
Once again, Ilgauskas reiterated his love for the city, and the feeling apparently is mutual as he received a nice ovation when he was introduced as the Heat's starting center.
"I had a great time here," he said. "Everybody knows how I feel about the city. I don't need to keep repeating it. I miss certain things. I miss people. I miss my friends, some of the places I used to eat. I don't miss the weather. Little things you miss. It's home. I've been here a long time. It's where I grew up basically."
James grew up here, too, and Ilgauskas said James had not changed at all. He said the two had talked about what to expect, but when he was asked how he thought James would be received, he was realistic.
"It doesn't make any difference what I hope," he said. "It's going to be a harsh reception. You've got to be an idiot not to figure that out. I just hope nothing stupid is going to happen. I would not want to see this city getting embarrassed. It's my home. So hopefully everybody behaves. You can express your feelings but not go overboard."
Ilgauskas said he has grown used to the magnifying glass on his team, and he said he thought this game was blown out of proportion. But he admitted all the negative reaction to the Heat has united the players.
"I think from all the hatred that has been created from outside the world helped this team come together because we really had nobody to turn to but ourselves," he said.
Rough landing: Not that there wasn't enough drama, but the Heat experienced airplane troubles en route. Jackie Mayo, a spokeswoman for Cleveland Hopkins airport, told the Associated Press that the crew of the Heat's plane reported a wing-flap "issue" early Thursday as the aircraft was on its approach. An alert was issued at the airport and two fire trucks were sent out to the runway, which is standard procedure.
Mayo said the plane landed safely around 2:30 a.m. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said the team was unaware there was a problem.
"None of us knew anything happened," he said before the game. "All we did was circle the airport. All of us were semi-asleep at that point. I had no idea."
Color commentary: TNT announcer Steve Kerr played for the Cavs for less than four seasons and he's been gone since 1992, but he admits he can't help feeling bad for what's happened to the team since James' departure.
"I know how much LeBron meant to the area, the resurgence of the Cavs franchise and the downtown area," Kerr said. "I was really sad when he left. I was hoping he was going to stay. At the same time, he was a free agent. He had every right to do what he did.
"Eventually, everybody has to move on. So in some ways this will be a good game for everybody -- for LeBron, for the Cleveland fans. It will be good for everybody to get this one behind them, but it will be a lot of fun to watch and to be a part of, too. We're all witnesses."
The last word: From President Barack Obama, asked about James' return to Cleveland, "It's going to be brutal."