"Just when it looked as if this really might be just another game for the Cavaliers and Miami Heat, LeBron James dropped a bombshell -- two of them, really -- and the Internet and Twitter world exploded.

James said he made a mistake in the way he left Cleveland and could see himself playing for the Cavaliers again. Not even Jeremy Lin could top that news on Thursday.

"I think it would be great," James said after the Heat's practice at The Q in preparation for tonight's game against the Cavs. "It would be fun to play in front of these fans again. I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future, and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense.

"And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

This discussion actually started a few weeks ago when former Plain Dealer reporter Brian Windhorst, now working for ESPN.com, suggested in a local radio interview that he could see James returning. This was the first time James was asked about that in Cleveland, and his candid responses took reporters by surprise.

Although he has hinted at this in the past and at other venues, for the first time here, James said he erred in the way he left. That admission came in response to a question about whether he had tried to patch things up with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who blasted James in an open letter to Cavs fans -- in comic sans type -- after James' defection. "