Kevin Love is special guest at LeBron's welcome home

CLEVELAND – A night that began with a shower of confetti and offered the spectacle of all those postseason games Kevin Love never has played finished like all too many did during his six seasons in Minnesota, with him slapping the ball on the floor in frustration late in Cleveland's 95-90 home loss to New York.

Playing his first regular-season game with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, Love produced a double-double — 19 points, 14 rebounds — that Wolves fans came to expect by halftime before he forced his way out of Minnesota last summer and to a destination where he says he's willing to sweep the floor if it means an NBA title.

Love and new teammate Kyrie Irving were willing to push a party celebrating James return to Ohio and the Cavaliers into the good night, but the guest of honor delivered a performance so unbefitting him, a 5-for-15 shooting, eight-turnover evening that produced 17 points.

"It's just one night," Love said afterward.

Early revelers snarled traffic in the streets surrounding Quicken Loans Arena four hours before Wednesday's opening tip and others charged $760 online for the cheapest seats on a pleasant autumn night when Ohio's long-suffering fans and celebrities from everywhere gathered for a joyous welcome that also doubled as an NBA season opener.

And they all came for Love's debut with the Cavaliers, even if they didn't it know it, but the Knicks ruined the party only 24 hours after they lost to Chicago by 24 points at home.

Love's efficiency — he came within one rebound of reaching that double-double by halftime — and his trademark 70-foot outlet passes to James and others outshone the superstar for whom he left Minnesota to play.

Love produced the kind of statistical game he delivered so often with the Wolves, making three of six three-pointers but missing one that would have tied the score at 88-88 with 63 seconds left after the Cavs fought back from nine points behind with three minutes remaining.

He wore a gold jersey bearing No. 0 after wearing the Wolves' No. 42 because the Cavaliers have retired that number in honor of Nate Thurmond. He might have a new team and a new jersey, but Love still knew his former team had beaten Detroit on Wednesday when he came out of the shower 40 minutes after the game.

"It's a different look playing for the Cavs, definitely," Love said. "It's a new path in my career. I felt comfortable out there. The majority of the focus, and rightfully so, was on LeBron."

But he picked right up where he left off with Wolves teammate Corey Brewer last season, finding James with those outlet passes that Love and Brewer made their specialty.

"The fit felt about the same," Love said. "We had the same connect on the other end. Corey used to finish for me. Now it's LeBron out there."

"LeBron, he can power through a little better out there," Love said. "But with Corey, you never know what you're going to get."

ESPN's "SportsCenter" and TNT analyst Charles Barkley and everybody from Justin Bieber, Spike Lee, Usher, Kevin Hart, Geraldo Rivera and Michael Strahan to Cleveland Browns' stars past and present Bernie Kosar and Joe Haden converged on Cleveland for James' return home, four years after he dismayed and angered his home state by leaving for two NBA titles in Miami.

James came home to a thunderous introduction that featured the confetti that floated from the arena's rafters and his own famous shower of chalk into the courtside air.

Fans started gathering downtown by breakfast time for an unveiling of a giant LeBron James banner and the crowds grew all day, gridlocking downtown by the time a concert in a plaza across from the arena featuring hip-hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar and rock band Imagine Dragons commenced hours before opening tip.

"I think it's a big day for everybody," Love told reporters at his team's Wednesday morning shootaround. "We all know it's a fresh start for me. LeBron coming back is a big deal. It's going to be electric in here. But more than anything, we just want to get a win at the end of the day."

"I understand how much I mean to this team, to this city, to this state and it's a different feeling." James said. "For me, none of us should take this moment for granted. This is probably one of the biggest sporting events up there ever. I don't feel it, but I know it is. 'SportsCenter' is here. A lot of people are here. 'SportsCenter' would never come to Cleveland other than this, so I understand."

In an essay published last week on New York Yankees star Derek Jeter's new web site, The Players' Tribune, Love wrote a farewell to Wolves fans and thanked them for not burning his jersey, not mentioning but referring to an act Cavaliers fans resorted to when their hometown hero jilted them back with the ill-advised television production "The Decision" that announced his free-agent choice.

He also reiterated he left Minnesota for Cleveland – yes, Cleveland – for the chance to win and said he cares not about statistics or whether he is a second or third wheel to James and young guard Kyrie Irving. Instead, he said that he cares only about winning.

Pledging to opt out of his contract next summer three seasons after he signed a four-year, $62 million contract in January 2012 when he badly wanted a five-year max deal, Love forced August's trade to Cleveland, which sent to Minnesota No. 1 overall picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and a future first-round pick from Miami that the Wolves swapped with Philadelphia for veteran Thaddeus Young.

In his essay, Love said he'd sweep the floors if it means winning an NBA title. Cleveland rookie coach David Blatt was asked before Wednesday's game if he has seen Love pick up a broom yet.