LeBron James will make his third visit to Cleveland on Friday since departing as a free agent. James surprisingly left the door open Thursday for a potential return to play for the Cavaliers again, calling his one-hour television special to announce his move to Miami “a mistake” and saying he holds no grudge toward Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for this scathing letter that ripped his former star. James can opt out of his contract with the Heat during the summer of 2014. SportsOptions.com offers up a betting preview and free pick
Miami at Cleveland (+10, 199)
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, February 17, 2012
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports, Fox Sports Ohio
ABOUT THE HEAT (23-7): This is the final stop on Miami’s six-game road trip. The Heat are 4-1 on the trip, including an impressive sweep of a three-games-in-three-nights stretch earlier this week, when they won each contest by an average of nearly 18 points. The big leads have allowed coach Erik Spoelstra to rest his stars and extend his bench for big minutes of the fourth quarters, meaning the Heat should be fresh for Friday’s final stop.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (11-16): Daniel Gibson’s sprained left ankle means the Cavaliers are down to their third-string shooting guard Friday. Alonzo Gee, typically the backup small forward, will start in place of Gibson, who was starting in place of Anthony Parker (back). At least rookie point guard Kyrie Irving is back and healthy after missing three games with a concussion. Irving had 22 points in his return Wednesday against the Pacers.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Cleveland has already won seven games by at least 10 points. Last season, the Cavaliers didn’t beat a team by more than eight points until the 73rd game of the season. That team just happened to be the Heat.
2. The Cavaliers learned Thursday they’ll be without center Anderson Varejao (fractured wrist) for four to six weeks. With about 10 weeks left in the season, coach Byron Scott said there is a chance Varejao will be shut down for the season if the recovery leans closer to six weeks than four.
3. James is averaging 25.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games against his former team. The Heat are 5-1 against the Cavs since James arrived.
PREDICTION: Heat 107, Cavaliers 93.
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