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When the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a shattering 112-57 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers back on January 11th, former Cavalier LeBron James famously Tweeted:

"Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

Beyond the fact that LeBron doesn’t seem to understand exactly what Karma is, the Tweet caused quite a stir. First he claimed he wasn’t directing the remarks at his former team, then he claimed someone else had issued the Tweet in his name, and from there it just got stupid. Many fans thought LeBron’s subsequent ankle sprain was a better example of Karma, but the truth is even that wasn’t the best analogy.

No, if we really want to talk about karma, using the word and the concept correctly and everything, we need look no further than last night’s game between the Cavaliers and LeBron’s new team, the Miami HEAT. It was LeBron’s second game back in Cleveland after leaving the team on the alter last summer, and the first time went pretty much as planned. The trio of All-Stars in Miami didn’t exactly blow away the depleted Cavaliers, but they did come away with a 101-95 win. LeBron’s second game back in Cleveland didn’t go nearly as well.

LeBron was brilliant on Tuesday night, scoring at will in front of the fans who formerly adored him and finished with an impressive triple-double: 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. This time, however, it was the Cavaliers who did the pasting. Cleveland built a 23-point lead before hanging on for a 102-90 win, much to the delight of the frenzied home crowd. They booed LeBron relentlessly, and rejoiced like they had won the championship to see their team take out the now-hated HEAT.

Here’s the dictionary definition of karma: action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation.

The Lakers beating the Cavaliers by 55 points is not karma, even in the loose, slang-like way in which we’re using it here. What have the Cavaliers ever done to the Lakers? No, if you really want to talk about karma, a much better example is LeBron James returning to Cleveland, dropping a triple-double, and getting blown out by the team he left in ruins.

And yes, it is a b****.

Up Close: Wesley Johnson

There haven’t been a lot of positives for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, but Wesley Johnson has definitely been one of them. HOOPSWORLD talks with the promising young rookie about getting over the awe of playing against guys he previously idolized, the biggest challenges of his rookie season, the future in Minnesota, and more in this exclusive interview:

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Splitter Making Progress

There is little question about why fans of the San Antonio Spurs were excited that Tiago Splitter finally joined the team this season. After all, Splitter, the 28th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Spurs, has been busy racking up international honors. He was MVP of the Spanish Super Cup in 2007 and 2008, Spanish League MVP in 2010, with numerous other individual honors and even a Brazilian Team gold medals mixed in between. Even as Spurs fans have watched Tim Duncan start to slow down, they’ve felt confident knowing that his eventual replacement was waiting in the wings.

The transition from FIBA competition to the NBA is rarely an easy one, and Splitter has been far from an instant success as a rookie this season. He hasn’t been terrible, but he’s only managed 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. Still, there have been some positive signs, especially later in the season. He’s been starting in place of the injured Duncan for the past four games and he’s turned in a couple of very encouraging performances. He scored 10 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and came up with three steals in a recent win over the Golden State Warriors, 11 points and seven boards in a loss at Portland, and then 14 and nine two games later in a loss to Portland in San Antonio. He also helped hold LaMarcus Aldridge to just nine points in that last game, which earned him the praise of head coach Gregg Popovich.

"I really like the way he played," said Popovich. "I liked the way everybody played. He really busted his noodle. He and George Hill were really special for us tonight."

Splitter’s English isn’t the best, but he speaks Spurs basketball just fine. After the game he told HOOPSWORLD he likes the minutes, but hates the losing.

{AUTHOR_BOX}"Of course, it’s helpful for myself, but I’m not happy at all because we’re not winning," said Splitter after the Spurs dropped their fourth game in a row. "We fight, we hustle, we do everything that Coach Pop asks us to do, but I feel bad that we don’t win."

"I’m getting more confidence, feeling like I’m part of the team, and I can play … Tim (Duncan) has always tried to help me, cheer me, get my confidence up. He tells me to keep aggressive and keep playing hard."

Expect to see a lot more of Splitter over the next few games, as Popovich will be in no hurry to being Duncan back before the playoffs. The more Splitter can play now, the more support he can give Duncan come playoff time, and that’s a good thing. For the big picture, the time Splitter puts in now will also help him and the Spurs as they look ahead to the inevitability that Duncan’s days are numbers, and Splitter is the man they’ve slotted as his long-term replacement.

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