ABOVE: Video by Eric Knappenburger, alias @CAVSWitness, effectively summarizing some of the resentment driving Clevelanders to tonight’s game. Look, everyone is entitled to their opinion! Isn’t that so, Erin Andrews?

If ever we were to pinpoint a climax of LeBromageddon, tonight would certainly be in the running. Yours truly will be shooting all day in downtown Cleveland and surrounding areas for the documentary, so get in touch if you have the gumption to be interviewed on-camera about your take on it. You can do so by commenting down below or tweeting me on Twitter.

Following the storyline of Cleveland, LeBron and Miami has proven a never-ending adventure that’s equal parts reality show, HBO drama, and NBC sitcom. It’s only slight hyperbole, in fact, to say that few writers could have penned a fictional story quite as simultaneously amusing and dumbfounding as this real-life tale of devotion-turned-enmity. And although today will surely prove the biggest landmark in the chronology of LeBron’s story since the infamous “Decision,” I don’t expect that this crazy train has quite reached its final destination.

At the same time, I really wish we could stop with the overwrought analogies comparing tonight to national tragedies. While we’re at it, tonight is not World War 3 or Chernobyl, okay?

(I know. This is rich, coming from someone who writes a blog called LeBromageddon. I’ll call a spade a spade.)

Still, if I can completely contradict myself and be serious for a minute, I want to acknowledge that there is a potentially sinister undercurrent to this circus, too, and that only further supports the apocalyptic feeling behind the whole storyline. While we may dismiss the plausibility of the unspeakable occurring, we can’t pretend the possibility doesn’t exist. As this post on the CBS Sports blog emphasizes, every controversial public figure should absolutely take into consideration that it only takes one delusional infamer who takes his (or her) resentment too far. Far be it from me to stir the pot or buy into the buildup, but we have far too many examples throughout history to support the cautionary tone adopted by the NBA, Cavs management, and the local law enforcement.

I feel better getting that off my chest.

Anyway, as expected, we’ve seen some of the most recognizable names in the media tackle the subject of today’s showdown, at great length and with enthusiastic relish. The New York Times dissected at length the creativity of anti-LeBron enthusiasts looking for just the right response to the King’s official entrance.

One of the most interesting and in-depth reads by far is this article from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” which goes far beyond the whole LeBron story and digs into some of Cleveland’s political and economic history.

(Oh, and hey. For our utterly shameless plug o’ the day, look who got interviewed by USA Today about the wide spectrum of emotions people are feeling in advance of tonight’s game!)

And lest we forget, there was even an analysis of the assuredly emotional return of another beloved Cavs-turned-Heat player, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

One surprising element (at least, surprising to some of us who have grown up in Northeastern Ohio) is the increasingly clear dichotomy between Akron and Cleveland (or so some Akronites would have us believe). In this FOX Sports story, for example, several natives of LeBron’s hometown talk about how they’ve always “hated” Cleveland and how LeBron’s decision to move on was simply what any “dyed-in-the-wool” Akronite would do, and Cleveland’s reaction to it was just as poor as anyone would expect from the city.

It seems, well, bizarre. And foreign, at least to me.

But maybe it’s just because I grew up in the suburbs! I always liked both Akron and Cleveland; it never dawned on me that there were lines drawn in the sand.

So tonight is supposed to be a dramatic showdown between more than just two teams. It’s supposed to be a duel between one player and an entire city (while another nearby city allegedly sits by in judgment). A booming economy vs. a shrinking one. A disinterested fan base vs. a passionately-invested one. And, to top it all off, a potentially dangerous atmosphere for attendees and athletes alike.

But regardless of whether you embrace the hype or you dismiss tonight’s significance, or if you’re somewhere in between, it should be acknowledged.

Tonight will be something.

And whatever that something is, I for one think it will be worth witnessing.

And maybe that’s the real legacy behind LeBron’s catchphrase. It’s just that its meaning ended up being more “nuanced” that we realized when it was first coined.

… See you down there!