January 26, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) carries the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (3) defends at the Air Canada Centre. Cleveland defeated Toronto 99-98. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Why should I go into a Cleveland Cavaliers game with the mindset that I expect them to compete in the fourth quarter? All season long the problem has been blowing close games in the final 12 minutes of a game, but riding a two-game winning streak, I trusted my beloved Cavs. Overcoming an 11-point deficit in the final frame in a back-and-forth uphill battle with the Toronto Raptors was a satisfying feeling, and Irving has quite possible had the most impressive week of any 20-year old on the planet.

After joining Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James as the only players to be elected to an All-Star game before turning 21 years of age, Irving finished the week with three wins and three performances of 30+ points. He also missed his career high (41 points) by one point in a fourth quarter comeback win over the Boston Celtics. Cleveland put together their first three-game winning streak since March 7-11, 2012. All three games involved the Cavs having to overcome the other team in the fourth, something they haven’t been proficient at this season.

Irving was smooth last week, combining for 35 points in the fourth alone. He averaged 35.7 points, four assists, four rebounds, 1.7 steals and 36.7 minutes. Irving did this all while shooting blazing numbers from the field: 61.2 percent from the field (on 41-of-67 shooting from the field), 54.5 percent from three and 94.7 percent from the free throw line. Kyrie is actually shooting 91.5 percent from the charity stripe in the month of January. We could be seeing an Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award coming Irving’s way pretty soon.

His clutch game has finally arrived at a level only few players in the league could match. Last season Kyrie relied on driving to the hoop to close out games, but now his perimeter game has been appearing late in the game instead of his impeccable finishing moves. Let’s revel in the greatness of the game winner against the Raptors before we start a new week of Cavaliers basketball.

After seeing the beauty in visual form, here’s some short fixed form poems commemorating Kyrie’s clutch three-point winner against the Raptors:

Haiku

Kyrie Irving – clutch

Augmenting his play and range

When the teams need it

Clerihew

Kyrie Irving

He’s a swirving

Calm and collected from three

It’s a guarantee

Cinquain

Twelve ticks

Heading up-court

Jose had him again

But he had just been named All-Star

That’s game

Limerick

We have the most certain leader

Who gets buckets by the liter

From twenty-one feet

He made it look sweet

But know this is just the teaser

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) celebrates with the Bill Russell mvp trophy after winning the NBA championship in game five of the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Although this isn’t news to many, I still think discussing the possibility – that’s all it stands at right now – of LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2014 is important on two levels; from a sports perspective and how high we hold ourselves as human beings who go through emotional roller coasters all throughout life. I recently reached out to Cavalier fans through the means of social media – primarily Facebook – to pose this question: As a Cavalier fan, what are your thoughts on the possibility of LeBron James coming back to play in Cleveland?

Disclaimer: Everyone who expressed their thoughts on my timeline agreed that they could be represented in this article. If you see a name quoted as a source that you don’t otherwise recognize, it is an opinion from a fan that contributed in this exercise.

Being from northeastern Ohio (which means most of my friends are from the Cleveland area), you could just imagine that I’d get my fair share of trololols on this status (i.e. “I’ll get my pitchfork ready.”), but intriguing conversation and debate ensued instead. Before we delve into how fans feel about the opportunity of a second Homecoming and crowning of King James, let’s look at a short timeline of how this story developed in the first place:

May 12, 2011 – After getting over the playoff hump that was the Boston Celtics, LeBron apologizes to Cleveland in press conference: “As much as I love my teammates back in Cleveland, as much as I love home, I knew I couldn’t do it myself against (the Celtics).” Uhhhh, okay, elaborate LeBron. “With all the friends and family and fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened.” Was that sincere enough for you, Cleveland?

June 12, 2011 – “There are NO SHORTCUTS” and “same personal problems” shots fired between Cavalier and LeBron camps. Bang! Bang!: You knew that Dan Gilbert was going to take to Twitter and that LeBron would address Cleveland after the Heat lost against the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals.

January 24, 2012 – As first reported by FOX Sports Ohio, LeBron shows interest in returning to Cleveland: All LeBron ever wanted was to be loved by all, but he threw that scenario out the window after “The Decision” debacle. It’s also no secret that James can opt out of his contract in Miami after the 2013-14 season. This was all reported just a few weeks into Kyrie Irving’s professional career, so these swirling rumors didn’t have too much backbone to them.

February 12, 2012 – LeBron James connoisseur and current ESPN.com writer Brian Windhorst provides the backbone that fans needed to begin discussion of a return: After practicing in Quicken Loans Arena before a matchup with the Cavs, LeBron said, “it would be fun to play in front of these fans again.” But what he said afterward is what we will probe into more later on: “If I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.” Time heals (some) wounds, but therein lies the question if owner Dan Gilbert would entertain the idea after his Comic Sans letter to Benedict LeBron.

In that same article, Cavaliers shooting guard and James’ friend Daniel “Boobie” Gibson had this to say:

I don’t think he’d be welcome. Not with the way that went down. It was a pretty tough situation. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t feel comfortable with that at all.

June 21, 2012 – Dan Gilbert sort of congratulates Miami on winning the NBA championship and “Congrats LeBron” trends in Cleveland area: As ambiguous as it was, Gilbert did send kudos to both teams on a well-played Finals.

Feb 17, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) warms up during pregame as a fan holds up a sign before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

December 22, 2012 – Jason Lloyd brings back LeBron rumors from the graveyard with plausible argument: We already knew that LeBron has the opportunity to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2014, but the stars are aligning in Cleveland’s direction for now. Kyrie Irving is an emerging superstar (something that was missing in his seven-year stint in Cleveland), he shares (local) agent Rich Paul with Irving and Tristan Thompson and the team’s current situation would allow James to sign a max contract due to Cleveland’s bountiful cap space, but the Cavaliers still need to make a strong case in the 2013-14 season as a team no longer stuck in rebuilding process.

January 11, 2013 – After a Cleveland loss to the Denver Nuggets, head coach George Karl can “see” LeBron making a return to the Cavaliers: Out of everything that Karl said re: LeBron returning, I thought this was the most interesting:

I think LeBron is at that stage where he’s challenging himself to motivate him to do something that’s maybe more difficult.

Kyrie also commented on the situation, saying, “Until it happens, I won’t really have a reaction to it.” Well played, but Gibson (remember his comments from earlier?) had this to share:

Anything is possible. The fans are forgiving. Everybody should be forgiving. You never know.

Hmmm. Also, Byron Scott had no comment on the situation at hand.

January 15, 2013 – Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio provides some insight on where the Cavaliers and LeBron stand as of right now: Apparently apologies were issued according to sources (most likely Rick Reilly – kidding!) close to James and the Cavaliers, and “he is expected to take full advantage of the word ‘option.’”

January 16, 2013 – Another Fox Sports Ohio aficionado, Zac Jackson, reports that Akron head coach Keith Dombrot (who coached LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary) and current St. V-M head coach Dru Joyce say that “anything is always possible”: They also agreed that LeBron has matured since he left in 2010 and that his love for the city of Akron could lure him into coming back to play in Cleveland.

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR FAN ANALYSIS…

How are they managing to do this?

As reported by a Yahoo! Sports article, there are three ways. The first is holding auditions for a scream team. Assuming that the point is to inject power and belief into crowds through the rebuilding period of the Cleveland basketball team, the Cavaliers are looking for people with personality, crowd appeal and talent. It is a great idea to be quite frank. Fans always thrive on opportunities to feel as if they are a part of the team, whether it is through shaking hands with their favorite players or using their proud voices to throw off an opponent’s free throw shots.

The next option is to be a Cavs judge. Nothing like an American Idol golden seat, the fans would be voting for any of the 31 finalists for the Cavalier Girl Dance Team. There is also a contest attached to the voting, which is a prize for seats to a home game and a meet and greet with the Cavalier Girls. It may not seem as enticing as a meet and greet with the men vying for a playoff spot, but then again something is better than nothing.

The last way for fans to keep in constant connection with their home team is by naming Cleveland’s new D-League team. If you remember, the squad was acquired within the last two months and has yet to be named. Idea submissions are welcomed as the franchise attempts to structure their organization’s newest addition.

None of these make up for the fact that we will probably be missing more than a hefty piece of the decision as talks have just recently resumed. With the owners having no leverage against the union, but having the most to lose, neither side is ready or willing to compromise. While Derek Fisher does not want to be treated like a football player, he, as the president of the union, must understand that there has to be space given from each side to come to a decision.

A Collective Bargaining Agreement where both sides are left pouting is usually the fairest.