Calmly answering question after question from reporters in the wake of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-88 win over the Celtics on Thursday night, he truly seemed comfortable in his surroundings.
That wasn't always the case for the King.
James' 36 points and nine assists were part of the Cavaliers' first win in Boston in 10 tries. It was a run of futility that stretched back to Jan. 3, 2007, and included four losses here in the 2008 playoffs.
In the last seven of those setbacks, James shot 35.5 percent from the floor.
Not that anyone was keeping track, right, LeBron?
"We haven't had much success here," James said. "We lost like nine straight times coming into this building, so we got the monkey off our back."
Initially, however, it looked like another rough night on Causeway Street for the league's best team.
The Celtics led by as many as 13 points in the first half and carried an eight-point advantage into the break. The lead was still nine with just over five minutes left in the third quarter, when the ghosts suddenly left the Garden.
A three-point play by James at the 5:12 mark kicked off an incredible 49-20 run to end the game for the Cavs. What was once a comfortable lead for the Celtics, if there is such a thing for a team that has blown 11 double-digit leads, turned into a blowout that sent fans to the exits with over four minutes left.
"I think they were as excited in the second half because they saw themselves with a chance to win here," said coach Doc Rivers, who had Wally Szczerbiak in his starting lineup the last time he lost to Cleveland at home.
Entering Thursday, Boston had a chance to get within four games in the loss column in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. That seems like a pipe dream now, and the C's have to regroup Saturday against the lowly New Jersey Nets.
Cleveland, meanwhile, can leave town with its head held high for once, even if coach Mike Brown isn't so sure it means all that much.
"I don't know, [winning in Boston] might get the guys some confidence," Brown said. "I wouldn't even think about that. When we go on the road, I don't know the last time we won in any building. It probably does [help]. It's human nature."
If Brown needs any help figuring out what it means to break the Boston curse, he needs only to look to his superstar, holding court in a TD Garden locker room as if it was his own.
