AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James has never defeated Boston in a playoff series and Cavaliers fans hope it stays that way.
That is why Cavs fans will be glued to their TV sets, starting Sunday afternoon, when James and his Miami Heat host the Celtics in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Cavs fans will be wearing green and white, holding four-leaf clovers and feverishly cheering on the likes of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo -- or the same group of Celtics stars they utterly despised at this time last season.
But it was the same group of Celtics that eliminated James and the Cavs in 2008, and the same group that led to the controversial closing of James' career in Cleveland a year ago.
Both took place in the conference semis, and for Cavs fans, the third time would be more than a charm. It would mean they could finally start following the NBA playoffs with some enjoyment. After all, it's hard not to feel sick to your stomach watching James win when it means the most.
Now, I write this as an Akron native, someone who was born in the same hospital as James (forget the fact it was about 212 years before him). I live a stone's throw from the mansion he built and still owns in Bath Township.
Because of my job, I've had more than a couple interactions with him -- and have honestly found James to be nothing but cordial, polite, professional. That includes an interview with him when he returned (the second time) as a member of the Heat.
But I still want LeBron and the Heat to lose, and in the worst possible way.
After all, I've run into Paul Pierce and he's a nice guy, too. And Clevelanders have managed to root against him in the past.
So rooting against LeBron will never be a problem. Neither will anointing Pierce and his teammates as our new heroes.
James not only spurned his town, his team and his largest fan base on national television, he has acted like it's been the right decision ever since. The Celtics provide Cleveland fans with the best opportunity to prove James wrong -- to make him look like the fool and traitor (and postseason failure) they say he is, to get some degree of feel-good redemption.
They want James to lose, and we all knew a young, almost frightened Philadelphia team would never beat the Heat. But the Celtics can -- and if they play Miami like they did in three of four regular-season games, they will.
Personally, my issues with the Heat go beyond just James. I actually care for forward Chris Bosh even less. At least James, as hard as it can be to admit, is a real superstar. At least Dwyane Wade was already in Miami.
But Bosh has somehow gotten fans and the national media to hop on his bandwagon, despite never doing anything in Toronto and playing timid in the biggest of games. When he does score or rebound a lot, it often has no influence on the outcome. It's usually just a bunch of good numbers.
Say what you want, but both Bosh and James look like chickens for running from their old situations. They acted like alpha-males, wanting the world to believe they were leaders who were capable of piloting their own teams to greatness.
Instead, they bailed with the excuse that their former organizations didn't provide them with enough surrounding talent.
But Clevelanders know better. They know the Cavs won 66 games two seasons ago, and 61 last season -- compared to 58 for the Heat this year.
They also know that the organization made as many moves as possible (and would have continued to do so) to give James a real shot at the championship he promised.
They know James left for two reasons:
1). He wanted to play with his friends.
2). He couldn't convince them to come to Cleveland.
So he took his talents to a city that wouldn't care about the NBA if the home team consisted of Magic, Michael and Larry in their primes. And LeBron, Bosh and Wade are no Magic, Michael and Larry.
But all of that is really beside the point. The real bottom line is Cavs fans will forever be convinced James made a mistake leaving their passionate sports city behind.
And they will be rooting like mad for the once-dreaded Celtics to prove it.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter:@SamAmicoFSO
