Darth James

I totally get it now. How could I have been so blind? LeBron is playing us all. He wins.

Last night, in what it is now the new low point of a nightmare season, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Strike that.

The were destroyed.

In what can only be described as a Debo quality beat down, the Lakers dismantled the Cavs to the tune of 112 to 57. A loss Cleveland fans won't forget any time soon. Although, this is their 21st defeat in their last 22 games, maybe they all start to blend together.

The media-savvy LeBron knew people wanted a soundbite from him, and he didn't disappoint. He tweeted, "Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

By now, none of us should be taken aback by this comment. In fact, we should be smarter by now. It isn't a flip remark from an arrogant egomaniac. It is a critique designed for maximum impact, carefully  engineered by a group of publicists, managers, associates, and "boyz". To what effect? To paint LeBron as a villain.

This comes just days after James stated, "I've kind of accepted this villain role everyone has placed on me, and I'm OK with it." Peculiar. Why would LeBron not only accept this role, but embrace it. After he decided to leave Cleveland for warmer beaches, the sports world toiled over what this move would do to his image. The once squeaky clean son of Akron had publicly abandoned his city and faithful followers. How could he redeem himself? The simple truth is that he doesn't. By deciding not to play nice or show compassion, LeBron has carved a new role for himself, that of the bad guy. His career is now in it's second act.

He was the prophet. A Moses-like figure who was destined to bring his people out of the darkness. To help them forget what Jordan did to them some 24 years ago. But, he turned. He was tempted by the dark side and betrayed his most loyal supporters. To many, he has become a villain of epic proportions. We can only imagine that it is in his plans to one day redeem himself, and maybe even bring a trophy back to Cleveland. I don't doubt that he will. I can see him bringing the trophy he wins in Miami to show his high school teachers.

This villain move is the smartest thing LeBron has done in a while. It appeases his new fans and infuriates his detractors. It's all too easy. Villains are cool. Scarface. The Joker. Al Capone. Darth Vader. All equally as popular as the heroes who face them, some even more so. The hood loves a bad guy. The hood buys sneakers.

The people of Cleveland can take solace in one fact: the 57 points put up last night is still one more than the 56 LeBron put up 6 years ago in Toronto.

All for one. One for all. Right, Cleveland?