LeBron shows Nets fans what they're missing

What could have been a Nets fan's dream ended up as a Halloween nightmare.

LeBron James was on the court at Prudential Center Sunday looking like an MVP. He was just wearing the wrong jersey.

James came dressed in a villain's garb but left as a winner, getting 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds as the Miami Heat handed the Nets a 101-78 loss - their first in three games - in front of 17,086.

Chris Bosh had 18 points and Dwyane Wade added 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. Brook Lopez scored 20 points, Nets rookie forward Derrick Favors had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Devin Harris added 13 points.

James was mostly booed by fans of one of the organizations he considered joining during his drama-filled free-agent saga in July. But if it had any effect on him, he can thank those Nike commercials for the acting chops, because he didn't show it.

"There's no way you can not hear it, but it doesn't have an impact on me," James said.

Before the game, he said his free-agent meeting with the Nets in July was "great" and that even though he ultimately chose the Heat, he left the team's presentation with "respect for anything to do with the Nets."

But the fans wanted no part of that mutual admiration society. They played the part of spurned lover, booing James every time he had the ball in his hands and cheering wildly whenever he picked up a foul (he had three).

But they weren't entirely unappreciative of his talents. Some of the loudest moments came after James' two dunks, the crowd roaring approval as he hung on the hoop like an exclamation point.

And that reaction made at least one thing clear: No matter how much this still might be Wade's Miami Heat, James clearly is the main attraction.

For his part, James said he's enjoying the reaction around the league. "It's great. There's never a time when we can't be motivated going into any arena," he said. "We know we're going to get booed most of the night and everyone wants to dethrone us.

"It almost seems like we've won a championship already. We haven't done anything. But everybody has put us up to the top. But personally for us, we know we've got a long way to go."

James said that in retrospect, he would redo portions of this summer's drama, which concluded with a much-maligned 60-minute ESPN special titled, "The Decision." But pressed for specifics, he was vague.

Lopez hit a jump shot 19 seconds into the game to give the Nets a 2-0 lead, but the Heat responded with a 15-2 run. The Nets trailed 58-42 at the half.

Miami went up 91-65 on Carlos Arroyo's jumper with 8:30 left in the game. As the fourth quarter wound down, fans streamed out of the arena. On to better dreams.

After a 12-70 season, though, the Nets' 2-1 start is good enough for the guy in charge. "I am very pleased with the team's progress and look forward to watching the Nets reach their full potential as the season continues,'' owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. "I had a great time at the games and being a part of all the fun. I'll be back.''