LeBron James has left the Miami Heat. But that doesn’t mean LeBron James has left the Indiana Pacers/LeBron James rivalry.
The heated confrontations and animosity may have been born in South Beach, but it’s fair to say that they won’t disperse until the The King retires. There is just too much history, and the fans in Indiana still have a hatred that burns deep. Maybe not Knicks deep, but LeBron has left the Pacers for dead too many years in a row for the wounds to ever heal.
Tonight, LeBron makes his first return to Indiana since vacating Florida.
The stakes are different.
Much different.
As in, there are none: The Cleveland Cavaliers are surging towards the top of the Eastern Conference and the Pacers are terrible, hoping for a shot at the playoffs as opposed to this time last year when they were dead set on a Finals appearance.
So this game won’t mean much to the national audience.
But the Pacers badly need a win and these guys don’t want to lose to LeBron again — even in the regular season.
It is with this in mind that we look back at the rivalry that began in the 2012 and re-count some of its most memorable moments.
Did we miss your favorite? Add it in the comments at the end.
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