Anyone who believed the Cleveland Cavaliers would rise up and vanquish the hated Miami Heat in Thursday's highly-anticipated match-up should stop eating paint chips.

Miami did what it was supposed to in drubbing Cleveland, 118-90. Had that game been a contest, it would have led to too many "LeBron Isn't An Assassin" or "Which Of The Big Three Should Be Dealt" stories.

There are several reasons I believed the Heat would mop the floor with the Cavs. None of which have anything to do with Miami being a great team. Yet.

Early on, Miami has shown to be front-runners. The Heat are 11-1 against the bottom-feeders of the league. When playing teams below .500, Miami wins by an average of 16 points.

Conversely, the Heat can't beat any team that has any semblance of talent, as Miami is 1-7 against teams that have a pulse. In games against squads .500 or better, the Heat score just 94 points a game - 12 points less than they do against the worst of the worst.

Cleveland's roster is made up of journeymen and castoffs. LeBron James leaving the Cavs has given the team a look similar to that of the last season of "Martin" when Tisha Campbell left. You want to watch to see if the team can put in strong performances night after night, but you know it can't and won't be the same.

James going off the way he did shouldn't surprise anyone, either. LeBron in his return played magnificently, finishing with a line of 38, 5, and 8 in 29 minutes before sitting out the entire 4th quarter. James scored 24 of those 38 in the third.

I know people who believed he would shrink in the moment. They said he'd get nervous or that he couldn't handle the boos. Then they looked at Cleveland's roster and realized this would be like a light practice for James.

Cleveland's roster sucks. Last night, I thought to myself, "who's jersey would Cav's fans buy and wear with pride?" Mark Price was the only name that came to mind. Miami was supposed to win by 30 and James was supposed to go off because I'm sure he emasculated every guy those on Cleveland's bench in practice every day for seven years.

That's why I'm slow to say there will be any long-term affects from that game. Yea, LeBron and his mates had swagger last night. But where does that swagger go when Miami plays a legitimate team?

So, yes, last night was a big game from a media and fan standpoint. But from a basketball standpoint, we didn't learn anything from Heat/Cavs I.