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LeBron James returns to Cleveland: Game time, live stream, TV coverage

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LeBron James will play his first game since rejoining the Cavaliers on Thursday night against the New York Knicks in Cleveland. James spent the first seven seasons of his career in Cleveland after being selected first overall in the 2003 NBA draft. He left the Cavaliers for Miami in 2010 to form the so-called "Big Three" with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

The four-time MVP announced in an essay published on SI.com this summer that he would return to Cleveland.

After landing James, Cleveland further upgraded its roster by trading for star power forward Kevin Love and adding versatile defender Shawn Marion. The Cavaliers are listed at No. 2 in SI.com's preseason power rankings.

The betting website Bovada lists their odds to win the championship at 5/2.

On Thursday, James said he thought Thursday night's game was "probably one of the biggest sporting events ever." As of 5:30 p.m., there were 25 tickets available on StubHub ranging in price from $411.25 to $3,485.25.

From The Plain Dealer:

"None of us should take this moment for granted," James said, following the Cavaliers' morning shootaround at The Q. "This is probably one of the biggest sporting events ever." [...]

"Just the fact that it's my second stint here, and I understand how much I mean to this team, the franchise, this city, this state," James said. "It's a different feeling but I am calm and excited at the same time because it's the first game of the season."

After hosting the Knicks on Thursday night, the Cavaliers play at Eastern Conference contender Chicago on Friday before beginning a West Coast road trip in Portland next week.

How to Watch

Details for Thursday's game are below:

Tipoff: 8:00 p.m. ET

Live stream: The game can be live streamed here.

TV coverage: TNT

Radio: ESPN Radio

• #tbt: LeBron James' humble beginnings