by Alex Raskin, Special to FOXSports.com

LeBron James greets his friend Jay-Z as the stars came out to watch the King. (Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)

The incremental raises afforded by the Larry Bird clause — which should give Cleveland a $30 million advantage toward retaining James — don't matter when he's dropping 33 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in his only Madison Square Garden appearance of the season.

The only thing Knicks fans wanted Friday night was to witness LeBron-mania and to pray they'll get at least 41 opportunities to do so next season.

"It's never low-key coming into the city," James said before Friday's 100-91 win over the 1-5 Knicks.

He doesn't know the half of it. Wednesday night, with the Knicks hosting the Pacers, there was a dearth of celebrity fans — make that fans in general. Friday, with LeBron in town, Jay-Z, Chris Rock and John Legend were among those in attendance.

The circus started early in the day when James' beloved Yankees held their victory parade downtown. But since James was catching some shuteye in his hotel room, several Bombers — including James' friend CC Sabathia — made the trip to MSG to see and be seen by the King.

"He's seen both sides of the fence being in Cleveland and New York," James said of the former Indians ace.

New Yorkers are particularly enthused by Sabathia's belief that James will follow his path. After all, it's a storyline that repeats itself in this town every few years.

On the move?

A lot has been made about LeBron James' status for 2010. The Cavs star addressed the issue Friday. FULL STORY.

New York City's unwavering belief in its own exceptionalism is born from the careers of Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Mark Messier — men who won titles before their arrival but will be remembered best for what they did within the city limits.

Is it too much to hope that James could do the same?

For the enamored masses at the Garden, the answer is a resounding "no." Of course, the Yankees and the Rangers weren't dealing with the salary cap or the other factors that might anchor James to Cleveland (4-3).

"Obviously, your team can pay you more," said James' former Cavs teammate and current Knick Larry Hughes. "I think it still comes down to winning situations and where you feel comfortable more so than money; because I think the star guys are going to make money no matter where they go."

"At the end of the day, a max deal doesn't matter much to me," James agreed.

And regardless of how many of his jerseys were peppered throughout the MSG crowd, James clearly feels at home in Cleveland.

"That's his city," Hughes said. "He grew up 30 minutes away from Cleveland. That's his area. All his family and friends are there. When you interact with him, you see how many people are real close to him there. ... He's a son of Akron."

Of course, New Yorkers don't want to hear that. They'd prefer to think James saves something special for MSG (52 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in his previous visit), but the truth is everyone is at his best against New York's defense. Wednesday night, Indiana's Roy Hibbert and Dahntay Jones combined for 34 points and 26 rebounds, and there's really no telling what could happen when the Jazz visit on Monday.

Would a Ronnie Brewer triple-double surprise anyone?

That's the greatest challenge deterring the Knicks' pursuit of James. He has money and fame, but how can this franchise offer James a title?

"We've got to get to the point where the Knicks (have) that energy and the Knicks are that attraction and we're not there yet, obviously," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I think we're off to a good start with (Danilo) Gallinari and Wilson Chandler."

It's frustrating for the franchise to be answering so many questions about a player they've yet to acquire when they're working so hard to improve what they already have. But the New York media are singularly focused, and this topic won't go anywhere until James signs with someone, sometime after July 1, 2010.

"My first day here I got up and said, 'One way we could get to another level — the quickest way — was to get into the free-agent market,' " Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh said. "I didn't even know who was in the market. Writers came in, looked it up, the next thing I knew it was LeBron James."

James may be the only one that can kill this story, but he's also too kind to deprive New Yorkers of hope. That's why he is so appreciative to the thousands that stayed after the final whistle to give him a standing ovation.

"It's this building," James concluded. "This building is very special."