LeBron was touched...on the ass.

And yet James the player could not have been more different than James the person I saw tonight . Where everything between tip and horn is so natural, everything else is so forced, so scripted. James is now approaching nearly 10 years of superstardom yet his interactions with the media trail far behind the likes of Kobe Bryant (or Brandon Roy) when it comes to comfort, depth and feel.

After the game, James made an off-color comment to a team attendant, stuttered through basic questions searching for words that he apparently doesn't have in his arsenal, addressed the media horde wearing only a towel (compared to Bryant who wore a full suit and tie to take questions on Friday night) and resorted to cliches that seemed to bore even himself.

Why? Is he simply tired of the same routine? Does he have nothing to gain from it? Is he convinced that he understands the game in ways the average writer can't? Is he simply unable to convey thoughts that matter? I don't know.

Nearly two hours before the game I caught a glimpse of a more genuine James, and it wasn't pretty. James wore headphones as he warmed up, locked in a cocoon of his own creation, heaving shot after shot. At the time, the Rose Garden was mostly empty and courtside security was not yet in place. Four teenage boys -- mostly decked in Blazers gear-- gawked as James went through his paces, ESPN cameras tracking his every move. As he worked towards the right corner, his admirers were within reach of a man whom they probably consider a superhero.

James mechanically drained his three pointers and then paused briefly as a ballboy went to retrieve a rare miss. Sensing an opportunity, one of the group reached out to James and patted him on the butt, not unlike teammates do countless times during every NBA game. Perhaps with a little more cupping action than usual but, nevertheless, an innocent gesture. The move bordered on the bizarre because it was clear the two had no prior relationship.

James wheeled, removing both his headphones instantly, clearly flummoxed that a stranger had grasped his buttocks. Upon seeing the culprit, who eyed the player with what can only be described as awe, James looked incredulous and indignant. With no other recourse available, James stopped his shooting routine, striding defiantly towards a group of his teammates that were standing near half court. A string of profanities flew from his mouth as he relayed what had just happened to his teammates, who hadn't seen it. To a man, they were equally shocked to hear of the occurrence. James continued his chest-puffing diatribe, occasionally looking back at the group of teenagers. The young men were pretending to gaze out in a different direction, pretending to be invisible. While James's teammates assured him that the kid surely didn't mean any harm and that he was probably just wishing the player well, James continued to shake his head, failing to comprehend that someone he didn't know, someone outside his circle, someone so clearly unimportant, would have the gall to touch him. Him.

Eventually, the kids slunk away. James finally popped his headphones back in and continued his warm-up routine. He either didn't notice -- or pretended not to notice -- two young writers laughing hysterically nearby.

Such is life for LeBron James in 2010.

Untouchable on the court, in more ways than one.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/1/11/1244904/media-row-report-blazers-94

that kid's GAY.

Why get worked up over it? Overreacting just makes you seem even more gay. Plus his teammates pat him on the ass all the time.

lol I got warned on GameFaqs for typing "gay" after I bolded the same parts I did here. Forgot about not being able to say gay unless it was about Rudy Gay. HA!