LeBron says he'll never leave . . . Akron

LeBron James accepted his second consecutive MVP trophy on Sunday at the University of Akron. Amid the lovefest came the question everyone continues to wonder, which was asked by the AP's Tom Withers (who, by the way, attended West Islip High on Long Island before he attended Ohio State): How could you leave all this?

LeBron did little to squelch any concern by Clevelanders, which RealGM.com quickly reported.

"I love, I mean, Akron, Ohio, to death," James said. "No matter where life may [lead] me, throughout my whole life, I'm never gone from here."

 LeBron did pay homage to Cleveland the day before, however, when he talked about "the humbling experience" of winning his second MVP.

"You put in a lot of hard work as an individual and get an opportunity to showcase your talent every night," James said, "and do it with teammates you love and do it in a city that you love."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer made sure that last phrase didn't go unnoticed, so they printed it twice.

Got that? "A city that you love."

But LeBron, didn't you also once say New York was one of your favorite places in the world?

Maybe Cleveland is your Jennifer and New York is Angelina.

And maybe what's most disturbing is that we've barely scratched the surface on where all of this will go in the next 60 days. Make that 59 . . .

It would be a lot more fun if the Knicks were playing the Cavs in the playoffs. This rivalry between New York and Cleveland isn't about winning a championship, it's about a player.

And that says a lot about where the Knicks are right now.