Do you remember the day leading up to LeBron James' first regular-season game back in Cleveland in late October? Cavaliers fans claimed that celebrities like Justin Bieber, Drake, and even Beyoncé were roaming the streets in the 216 in the hours leading up to tip-off at Quicken Loans Arena. And the general feeling was that nothing was going to stop the Cavs from having their best season ever. They had LeBron. They had Kevin Love. They had Kyrie Irving. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
It didn't take long for Cavs fans to find out the answer to that question. On opening night, their team lost to the Knicks. Less than a week later, a report emerged indicating that LeBron and Kyrie weren't getting along. And ever since then, the Cavs' season has been like one long Cedar Point roller coaster ride—one week they're riding high on a winning streak, the next LeBron and Love are beefing through the media. So as the Cavs prepare to play their final regular-season game against the Wizards tonight, we thought we'd take a look back at how this year has gone for the team. These are The Highs and Lows of LeBron James' First Regular Season Back in Cleveland.
HIGH: Cavaliers fans welcome LeBron back with open arms.
LOW: The Cavaliers lose their first game of the season…to the Knicks.
HIGH: The Cavaliers respond to their season-opening loss to the Knicks by beating Derrick Rose and the Bulls.
LOW: LeBron and Kyrie Irving reportedly exchange words following a loss to the Trail Blazers.
LOW: The Nuggets' Twitter account trolls LeBron, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving.
HIGH: LeBron scores 32 against the Hawks—one night after scoring 41 against the Celtics—to lead the Cavaliers to their fourth straight win.
LOW: LeBron acknowledges that he wants less playing time for himself, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving.
HIGH: Gregg Popovich compares LeBron to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan.
LOW: LeBron commits a turnover against the Spurs to lose a nationally-televised game.
LOW: LeBron gets caught cursing at a teammate during a blowout loss against the Raptors.
HIGH: LeBron meets Prince William and Kate Middleton after knocking off the Nets.
HIGH: LeBron scores 35 points against the Raptors as the Cavaliers win their eighth straight game.
LOW: ESPN's Brian Windhorst publishes a story that features several NBA scouts talking about how LeBron's athleticism has declined.
LOW: The Cavaliers get destroyed at home against the Hawks, and LeBron gets angry at a reporter.
LOW: Andrew Wiggins says Kobe Bryant is harder to defend than LeBron.
LOW: Victor Oladipo dunks on LeBron.
LOW: An NBA.com video that appears to show LeBron telling Dwyane Wade that he wants to "reunite and do some bigger and better things" next season emerges.
LOW: The Cavaliers announce that LeBron will miss two weeks with back and knee problems.
HIGH: The Cavaliers complete a trade that helps them land J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.
LOW: Joel Embiid trolls LeBron James on Twitter.
HIGH: The Cavaliers complete a trade for Timofey Mozgov.
HIGH: LeBron returns to the court after spending two weeks in Miami rehabilitating his back and knees.
LOW: LeBron pushes David Blatt away from a referee during a brief confrontation.
LOW: LeBron misses a dunk and gets caught playing awful defense during a game against the Lakers.
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HIGH: LeBron and the Cavaliers win their 12th straight game against the Clippers.
LOW: LeBron admits to taking a shot at Kevin Love on Twitter—and then tries to take it back.
HIGH: LeBron gets elected to be the first Vice President of the NBA Players Association.
HIGH: LeBron scores a season-high 42 points during an impressive win against the Warriors.
LOW: LeBron misses critical free throws during a loss to the Rockets and gets trolled by Houston's Twitter account.
LOW: LeBron takes an embarrassing mirror selfie and posts it on Instagram.
HIGH: LeBron scores 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cavaliers to a win against the Raptors.
LOW: LeBron says, "I suck," after a nine-turnover game against the Hawks.
HIGH: LeBron plays without a headband and helps the Cavaliers destroy the Mavericks.
LOW: Pat Riley admits that he still doesn't understand why LeBron left the Heat to return to the Cavaliers.
LOW: LeBron catches members of the media taking semi-nude photos of him in the locker room.
LOW: Kevin Love admits he would pick Russell Westbrook as his NBA MVP over LeBron.
LOW: LeBron says he has three "very good friends" in the NBA and that none of them play for the Cavaliers.
LOW: ESPN's Brian Windhorst reveals that LeBron calls a lot of the Cavaliers' plays and that LeBron quit on the Cavaliers prior to his two-week break in early January.
HIGH: LeBron records his first triple-double of the season against the Bulls.
HIGH: LeBron records his second triple-double of the season against the Pistons.
