Sorry, but ex-Colt Edgerrin James pullin' for Heat

One of the most popular players in the Colts' Indy era anticipates another return to his home away from home in the next week or so.

He isn't expecting to be met with open arms.

"Man, you know I'm a Heat fan,'' Edgerrin James said, laughing lightly.

If he can secure a ticket – and that's likely considering his local connections – James plans to be on hand for Sunday's Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, or one of the subsequent games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

As he mentioned, he's a huge Heat fan. He was on hand for one of their road wins against the Brooklyn Nets in the conference semifinals.

"I love Indiana,'' said James, who became the Colts' career rushing leader during his seven-year career (1999-2005). "Indiana is so important to me.

"But like I said, I want the Heat to keep on playing. If the Heat lose, I don't have nothing to do. My schedule revolves around having fun. Heat games are fun, you know?''

James resides in South Florida, but has made an occasional return to Indianapolis. That includes during the 2012 season when he was added to the team's Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium and last October when he and Marvin Harrison were on hand for Peyton Manning's return with the Denver Broncos.

"You know what that place means to me,'' he said.

But James' loyalty to the Heat isn't likely to waver. He conceded he won't draw attention to himself by wearing a Heat jersey.

"Nah, I'll just go with my regular white T-shirt,'' he said.

The Pacers followed a rocky path to their long-anticipated showdown with the LeBron James-led Heat, and James won't mind if they continue to follow that schizophrenic blueprint.

"Man, you don't know which guys are going to show up,'' he said of the Pacers. "When it comes to the Heat, I hope it's the Pacers that don't play to the best of their ability.

"They're pretty good when they're on their game.''


(indystar.com)