LeBron James scored the Miami Heat's final 17 points giving his team a 101-98 victory over the New Jersey Nets as the entire arena serenaded the forward with chats of 'Let's Go Heat' and 'MVP.'
Only problem was . . . the game was being played on the Nets home court.
While James had his way with the Nets down the stretch, the home town crowd at Prudential Center cheered for an opposing player— even thought the Nets had led almost the entire game Monday night.
"It was amazing, honestly. I give a lot of thanks to all the Heat fans that we have, and all the Nets fans that rooted as well," said James. "Like I said at one point last year, I never thought I would hear 'Let's Go Heat' on someone else's floor. So I am happy to be a part of it."
If it was going to happen LeBron, you had to know it would be in Jersey.
Nets forward Kris Humphries (29 pts.) wasn't as enamored about the love shown to an arch-villain on his home court.
"Yeah, I'm surprised. Where were those fans earlier?" said Humphries. "If you're a Heat fan, you should have been screaming the whole game even when we got them down."
James finished the game with 37 points while his teammate Dwayne Wade sat on the bench with an injury.
To add insult to embarassment— after the game James took off his shoes, autographed them and handed them to 7-year old Daniel Julez Smith— the nephew of singer Beyonce Knowles and her husband Nets minority owner Jay-Z.
Nets star Deron Williams— who can only dream of hearing 'MVP' chants at the Pru— could only watch and listen from the pine as he nursed a sore calf.
The Nets— who have lost their last 10 games to the Heat— actually led up until the very end— even with a starting lineup which included two rookies and two players acquired on 10-day contracts.
James shouldn't expect the adulation in Newark to continue— literally and figuratively. The next time these two teams meet up here, it will against the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center.
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