LeBron Told Dwyane Wade ‘It Could Only End Here Or The Garden’ After Their Final Matchup At Staples

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s final game against each other came on Monday night at Staples Center, as James’ Lakers topped Wade’s Heat in a 108-105 game that saw the two duel down the stretch.

Wade was unable to hit the game-tying shot over James at the top of the key, and as soon as the final buzzer sounded, Wade nearly tackled James and they shared an embrace. On the baseline the two talked with each other while cameras surrounded them about the final game sharing the same floor and Wade thanked LeBron for letting it happen in Los Angeles.

LeBron then told him there were only two options, here or The Garden, implying that the Knicks were the other place he may have considered other than Los Angeles this summer as a free agent.

James has long noted his affinity for playing at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks thought they were close to landing James in 2010 when he chose instead to join Wade in Miami. This past summer, the capped out Knicks had no chance of signing LeBron so no one even thought about it being a possibility, but it seems as though, had they planned for James’ free agency and kept their cap sheet clean, they would’ve been a legitimate candidate for James.

This, of course, only serves to torture poor Knicks fans who happened to be watching this game and are now even more furious about Phil Jackson handing out massive, long-term contracts to the likes of Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, clogging cap room and keeping them from a potential run at The King.