INDEPENDENCE, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavaliers have their toughest test of their nine-game homestand staring them in the face tonight as they play host to the villain, LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Anytime James steps foot into the Q, it’s a story. The hype started on Thursday when LBJ stated to AP reporter Tom Withers that he would consider one day playing again for the Cavaliers.

“It would be fun to play in front of these fans again,” James said. “You can’t predict the future. I’m here as a Miami Heat player, and I’m happy where I am now, but I don’t rule that out in no sense. And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”

It was somewhat of a stunning statement, and one that has taken away from the game tonight between the two Eastern Conference teams. The Cavs have already played Miami twice, but tonight Byron Scott knows there will be a major difference since it’s a home game.

“Anytime you have a big crowd and they are hostile towards the other team it kind of feeds fire for us,” Scott said. “I know we want to go out there tonight and play well, not only for the fans, but for ourselves.”

The Cavs two losses to the Heat have shown they can hang with them, but yet they have yet to get over the top and score a win. They lost to them on February 7th 107-91 in a game where they were beat up in the fourth quarter. The first game the Cavs hung around till late, before falling 92-85.

James has had success in the six games he’s played against the Cavaliers, going 5-1. James scored 38 in the first game back in Cleveland last December, and the night the Cavs beat the Heat 102-90 at home March 29th, LBJ scored 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

On the court, the Heat have been dominating. They are 23-7, and during their current four-game winning streak that’s come on the road, the Heat have held opponents to 90.5 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting.

The Cavs know on offense they can’t turn the ball over, as the Heat turn those into dunks as the fastest transition team in the league with James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Wade has averaged 24.0 points on 54.5 percent shooting in the last 10 games. That included a 26-point effort during the Heat’s 107-91 win over the Cavs back on February 7th.

If the Cavs are going to win, they have to be ultra-aggressive on James, and use the crowds emotion to their advantage. They played tight last season in the first meeting in Cleveland, but the second time around – they were loose and aggressive at the same time.

After tonight, the Cavs play a couple teams that are well below .500, including the Kings on Sunday, Pistons Tuesday and Hornets on Wednesday, making tonight’s game even more important.

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