While LeBron James was making his first appearance in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform against real opposition since 2010, David Blatt was making his NBA coaching debut in the exhibition against his former team Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Although the Cavaliers easily handed the defending Euroleague champions 107-80 in casual fashion on Sunday, the match-up was no easy task for Blatt who had coached Maccabi for six seasons.
“I was nervous before the game, but not because it was the first time I coached in the NBA,” Blatt said. “I was playing against my friends.”
James said of his new coach: “He was very nervous, excited, uptight – and rightfully so. He has a lot of ties to that team, a lot of ties and his first real game is against his former team. So I don’t know how much he slept last night.”
James, meanwhile, scored 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting and added four rebounds and four assists before sitting out the second-half.
It was his first contest with Cleveland since the Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference semi-finals.
“It feels great,” James said of being back with Cleveland. “It’s going to feel great for a long time.
“For me to run back on the floor with these fans and my new team-mates, I’m excited. It’s great to always leave victorious, it doesn’t matter if it’s pre-season or not.”
Point guard Kyrie Irving led the way with a team-high 16 points, while Dion Waiters chipped in 15 and Tristan Thompson contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Sylvan Landesberg spurred Maccabi, coming off the bench to score a game-high 23 points, while former Cavalier Jeremy Pargo notched 18.
Along with James, the focus was on Kevin Love who played his first game since being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 26-year-old scored eight points, grabbed 11 boards and delivered one of his famous outlet passes with a near full-court heave to Waiters for a basket off a miss.
It was only pre-season, but every game Cleveland get to play competitively is another opportunity to develop chemistry.
“So far so good,” Love said. “We’re only in the second week of training camp. We’re still putting things together on the court.
“It’s still a process. We’ll get better. We just have to have some continuity out there.”
Cleveland’s exhibition slate continues when James squares-off against his former team Miami in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.