By Brian Windhorst
ESPN.com
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CLEVELAND -- Reality took a blissful vacation for a bruised fan base Tuesday night, even if LeBron James still left the floor down the visitors tunnel and the Cavs are still headed to the lottery.

For months, Miami Heat players and Cavs fans talked about the boorish treatment they gave James in his first return to his scorned hometown on Dec. 2. Both wore it as a badge of pride -- the Heat for playing through it and putting together a powerful performance that turned around their season, and the fans for sending a stronger message than their beleaguered team the night of that 28-point loss.

When they all met again, the game was not defined by boos or by James' ability to make them hollow, as he did with 38 masterful points earlier in the season. Instead, the Heat lost something of real value, and the fans and Cavs players left with a memory that might salvage some of what has been a miserable year.

The Cavs' 102-90 win over the Heat wasn't just stunning; it was numbing. The wave after wave of sound from fans too stubborn to be disenchanted. The uprising of the Cavs' justifiably unheralded role players. The meltdown of the Heat's defense and their general lack of energy on a night when they could have taken sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Cavs fans have bought nearly 98 percent of available tickets this season, a relic of faith and renewed season tickets, but also an expression of hope that they could be underdogs that could -- just like that ragtag group of overachieving misfits in "Major League," a fictional story about the Cleveland Indians. Fictional because Cleveland won in the end, but certainly based on the true story of the fans' eternal suffering.

Dec. 2 was another chapter in that legacy, when Cleveland so badly wanted to win, even if it was the only game the team won all season. Instead, the Cavs were simply dreadful, which sucked the life out of the dreams for the first post-James months.

The events Tuesday didn't wipe everything away, but it was an escape complete with roller-coaster drama. The Cavs built and lost a 23-point lead in the second half, the crowd twisting with emotion all the way. The fans had mostly forgotten to continue to boo James, who was in the midst of a triple-double, because they wanted to cheer for their team too badly.

Finally it broke. The Heat ran dry as a frustrated coach Erik Spoelstra rode most of his starters for the whole second half, and the Cavs made virtually every shot in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Hollins seemed like he played his best game since his UCLA days. Even though it was just 13 points and three rebounds, he outplayed the recently hot Chris Bosh (5-of-14 shooting). Anthony Parker hit nearly everything he threw up at the rim. And rookies Christian Eyenga and Luke Harangody outperformed the entire Heat bench by themselves. J.J. Hickson, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds, was the most active player the court.

"That was such a great feeling because I thought the first time we played them here we were embarrassed and they took a little bit from us," said Parker, who had 20 points on just nine shots. "This was the night we wanted to get that back. For us, but more so for the fans. That was a great feeling, getting it back from them."

At the final horn, James, who had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, hugged the handful of ex-teammates and coaches still with his old franchise. Then, under heavy security, he strode off the floor with his head down but his ears open.

"The fans are unbelievable; I've always said that," James said. "They were great for their team."

The Heat will want to be the exact opposite of the Cavs -- they'll want to quickly forget their performance. Their energy level hinted at arrogance as they arrived with a five-game win streak, and their collective defensive effort raised some alarm bells inside the locker room.

Spoelstra, frustrated by watching one of the worst offensive teams in the league shoot 58 percent, finally threw in the towel and went to a zone defense to prevent the Cavs from pounding the Heat inside. It worked for a while but, like most gimmicks, was just a bandage.

The coach said he was worried about this for several days, dating back to Sunday when the Heat got away with giving up 119 points to the Rockets because Wade, James and Bosh were all on fire. This night, Wade and Bosh combined to shoot 13-of-34. Not even 23 points from Mike Bibby could save the defensive effort.

"The process of losing this game started two games ago," Spoelstra said. "That's the reality; this was coming to us, and the majority of the time in this league you get what you deserve and we got exactly what we deserved."

After winning eight of nine games and showing nice offensive development, the Heat looked like they might have turned a corner and started to get a rhythm heading toward the postseason. But the NBA is fragile, and the Heat suddenly looked that way.

Mike Miller limped badly to the bus, and Spoelstra admitted before the game that an MRI had revealed Miller's left knee wasn't just bruised but also had a mild sprain. Mario Chalmers is at least a week away from coming back from his sprained knee. And while Udonis Haslem is now traveling with the team, Spoelstra hinted he is still a month away from coming back.

That lack of depth has removed some of the Heat's margin for error, which would require a rededication to defense. Right now, that's not happening, and it flustered a team that looked so confident just a few days ago.

"We're playing for something big, and right now we just took a step backwards," James said. "We don't want to do that at this point."

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