And for the first time in his life, he heard more than 19,000 fans serenading him with an expletive every time he touched the basketball–

“A–hole, a–hole.”

“No, it’s not the first time, it’s just the first time it’s been in unison like that,” James said with a chuckle Friday at Madison Square Garden. “Everybody at the same time said it.”

James, of course, is Public Enemy No. 1 in the Big Apple because in the summer of 2010 he teased Knicks fans with the possibility that he might bring his talents to Broadway before ultimately making “The Decision” to head to South Beach.

“No emotion, fans are going to be fans,” James said of the Garden crowd that will greet him again Sunday in Game 4 with the Heat leading the series 3-0. “I understand. I don’t know. I don’t have much of a reaction to it. I was just happy we  was able to win the game, really.”

James left the game with 7:23 remaining in the third when he picked up his fourth foul.

But he returned in the fourth quarter on a mission.

He scored eight unanswered points — including two 3-pointers — to help turn the game into a rout en route to an 87-70 Heat victory.

He scored 17 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth as the Heat pushed the Knicks to the brink of elimination.

“It was a little bit of everything,” James said. “It was because of the fans, how the game was going. We felt like we was right there to break the game open, we just couldn’t make a couple shots.

“We felt like if we could get enough stops we could kind of break the game open if we made a couple shots and that was my intention coming into the fourth. And I just fed off the crowd, fed off my teammates and I was able to knock a few down to start the fourth and kind of just broke it open from there.”

Photo: Daily News

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After dropping a game-high 32 points on the Knicks in Miami’s 87-70 victory in Game 3 Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, James went back to his hotel room and learned with the rest of the sports world that Rivera had been felled by a torn ACL.

“I think it’s unfortunate, honestly,” James said Friday at Heat shootaround at MSG. “We all know the great baseball player he is. Probably the best closer that MLB has ever seen. For him to have a freak accident like that, you can’t explain it. No one can explain it.”

Rivera tore his ACL Thursday while shagging fly balls in Kansas City. He chased after a ball and crashed into the wall.

“It’s something he’s been doing like they said for 20-plus years,” James said. “It’s unfortunate. We’ll see what happens with the situation. Wish him the best and speedy recovery.”

The Yankees have Rafael Soriano and David Robertson at their disposal, but neither measures up to arguably the greatest closer of all time.

Rivera is baseball’s all-time leader with 608 saves and has five World Series rings.

“Soriano has the experience,” James said. “He has 80 career saves over his years in MLB and Robertson as well. Hopefully he can pick it up as well.

“We’ll see. You can’t replace Mariano, but you hope guys can fill in for him.”

Photo: ESPN

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NEW YORK

“Yeah, well they really made us think about that loss for a long time,” Wade said Tuesday in Brooklyn.

Now that the abbreviated season is set to begin Christmas Day, Wade and the Miami Heat are anxious to make another run at the Finals.

“Obviously, just like every other team we can’t wait to get back to get an opportunity to play in the Finals,” Wade added. “So we did have a little longer to think about losing, but that’s over with.”

At that point, Chris Paul interjected, “Not as long as us,” referring to the New Orleans Hornets’ first-round loss to the Lakers.

“That’s true,” Wade said. “Ya’ll did have a long time.

“But we’re back. We’re excited about another opportunity. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we just get an opportunity to come out every night and put our best team on the court and see what we get so we’re excited.”

James was cast as a villain last year for his “Decision” to come to South Beach. He then took added heat in the Finals for not being aggressive enough down the stretch while Nowitzki took over for the Mavs.

Now he gets another chance.

“I’m just excited personally, not only for myself and for my team, but for the fans,” James said. “I’m thankful that we were able to get this [lockout] resolved and the fans can get back to watching the game that they love.”

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PHILLY — Jason Terry

“Well, my normal little life just got a little bigger, so I thank him for that,” the Dallas Mavericks guard said Wednesday at the Reebok Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University.

Terry was responding to James’ controversial comment after the Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in six games to win the NBA title.

“All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,” James said then.

“They have the same personal problems they had today.”

Much was made of the Heat having three superstars in James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, yet the Mavs proved they could win a crown with just one superstar in Dirk Nowitzki.

“Basketball’s a team sport,” said Terry, who averaged 17.5 points per game in the playoffs and shot over 44 percent from three-point range. “When you out in competition, it takes five guys on the court at a time. They had three great players. They just needed a little more help. We had about nine or 10 exceptional players that played well. We maximized our individual talent within a team concept and that’s why we’re the NBA champions.”

Terry spoke to the media alongside fellow NBA players Jameer Nelson and John Wall, who is hosting the camp.

The players were told they couldn’t answer any questions about the NBA lockout, but said they planned to continue to work out this summer in order to be ready for the return of the NBA.

“Like Jason and Jameer said, we’re just going to try to work out,” Wall said. “And this was my first year so I really learned a lot, really understand what the NBA game is about. What I need to work on and things to develop and get better.

“I’m playing in a couple summer leagues here and there and just have fun, but mostly I’m trying to get better and watch as much film as I can.”

Wall and Terry also verbally jousted about which of their alma maters deserved the moniker “Point Guard U.”

“I think Kentucky is ‘Point Guard U’ now,” Wall said.

“Definitely the new breed,” Terry said. “I’ll have to give you that.”

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Long gone.

“You can never say never,” said Gary Charles, the head coach of the New York Panthers and a Vaccaro lieutenant from 1992-2006, when Vaccaro hung up his kicks and retired .

“But I think it’s extremely hard to duplicate what Sonny Vaccaro has done.”

Charles recalls the days, not so long ago, when there was a “buzz in the air” in early July because of the impending matchups at the ABCD Camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University between Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo, Derrick Caracter and Greg Oden or  LeBron and Lenny Cooke.

“There was a buzz in the air that everyone knew,” Charles recalled. “It wasn’t just great for you, it was great for everyone.”

Vaccaro, 71, is living in California and flirted with Chinese apparel manufacturer Li Ning about a return this summer, but it never materialized.

LeBron is still around — dunking on young kids at Richard Stockton College and shoving them to the ground while he awaits the fate of the NBA lockout.

And in fact, his LeBron James Nike Skills Academy (July 6-9) in Akron will have the predominance of talent beginning next week. (The official roster is not released until Tuesday.).

Sixteen of the top 25 players in the Rivals150 for the Class of 2012 attended Nike academies run by Kevin Durant, Deron Williams and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Among the players who attended those academies are the players ranked 4-10 in the Rivals rankings: Kyle Anderson, Mitch McGary, Devonta Pollard, Anthony Bennett, Ricardo Ledo, Rodney Purvis and Jarnell Stokes.

“Nike has almost all the elite AAU travel teams that have the elite players,” said longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. “Everyone else is trying to be Avis. Everyone else is jockeying for No. 2. They’re looking to place, rather than to win.

“Nike has the elite players and I don’t think that’s going to change.”

Still, the adidas Invitational in Indianapolis (July 6-9) will feature a matchup on Thursday of the two top players in the Rivals rankings. Guard Shabazz Muhammad of Dream Vision and big man Andre Drummond of the Connecticut Basketball Club will go head-to-head in the Super Pool.

Meantime, 7-foot Baylor commit Isaiah Austin, No. 3 in the Rivals rankings, is slated to appear at the Great American Shootout in Duncanville, Texas July 8-11.

Several other players, including No. 19 Perry Ellis of Wichita, KS, will also attend the adidas tournament even though he was invited to LeBron. (Look for Ellis to have the Duke staff trailing him in Indy.)

The mandate by adidas to have its top players attend its event has had a trickle-down affect on other camps, such as the Reebok Basketball Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University July 5-9.

Players such as 2013 St. Patrick big man Austin Colbert was slated to attend the Reebok Camp but has now been invited to LeBron after adidas took a bite out of the Nike pool.

“I can’t wait,” Colbert said of the LeBron invite.

Reebok isn’t the camp it was at the end of the Vaccaro Era, but former Vaccaro/Chris Rivers lieutenant Patrick Coombs has assembled a nice lineup of young players.

The Reebok list includes St. John’s commit Jevon Thomas, Arizona commit Eric Cooper, Alabama commit Jaren Sina and Michigan commit Nick Stauskas, all juniors; 2012 guard Kareem Canty, who has Big East, Pac-10 and ACC interest; and 2013 guard Rysheed Jordan of Philadelphia.

“There will be good players there,” Konchalski said.

Still, Konchalski himself plans to head to the Hoop Group Elite Camp in Reading, Pa., which is slated to include Lincoln High stud Isaiah Whitehead, former Lincoln 7-footer Jordan Dickerson, headed to IMG Academies and 2013 wing Davon Reed.

“College coaches are going to ring up a lot more frequent flyer miles, especially in the early 10 day recruiting period because there are four places where they’ve gotta be,” Konchalski said. “Someone on their staff has definitely got to be there.”

So the beat goes on, with Sonny Vaccaro and his Nike counterpart George Raveling nowhere in sight, and the buzz perhaps missing from the Sneaker Wars.

“There’s no wars going on,” Charles said, “so there’s something missing.”

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During a game of Knockout at a camp at Richard Stockton College, he dunked on Evan Mahome of Detroit and knocked him down. He then helped Mahome back up.

Afterward, LeBron reportedly said, “He’ll have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life he had before today.”

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The photo was taken by TMZ.com.

The shirt is a takeoff on Shaquille O’Neal telling Kobe Bryant in a video after the two parted ways, ”Tell me how my a– tastes!!”

LeBron and Dwyane Wade appeared to mock Nowitzki by coughing and covering their mouths with their shirts, a reference to Nowitzki playing with a 102-degree temperature in Game 4.

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LeBron James

Yet his high school coach is sticking up for him.

“If the ball goes in the basket, he would’ve had a tremendous game last night,” Keith Dambrot, James’ coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and now the head coach at Akron, told ESPN’s Mike & Mike Friday morning. “By most people’s standards, 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, that’s a pretty good game.”

Yes, the King posted a triple-double in Miami’s 112-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Thursday’s Game 5 loss in Dallas, but he managed just 2 points in the fourth quarter.

In the last four games, James has not scored more than 2 points in the fourth quarter. He has  11 total points in five fourth quarters in this series. That’s six less than his teammate Udonis Haslem.

As a point of comparison, James has had at least 11 total points five times in the fourth quarter this postseason.

“The pressure is getting to LeBron James,” ESPN’s Jon Barry said on air. “This is something we haven’t seen….I think his confidence is shaken.”

James is being heavily criticized for failing to attack the basket and settling for 3-point shots late in the game. His post-up game leaves something to be desired as well.

“He has to get better moving himself so he can be more active in the offense in the fourth quarter,” ESPN’s Magic Johnson said.

Still, Dambrot, who won two consecutive Ohio state championships with LeBron, says pressure isn’t a factor.

“I don’t really buy the pressure part,” he told Mike & Mike. “I do believe that he’s a guy that goes on rolls and sometimes he doesn’t make shots. But I think he’s a good player even when he doesn’t make shots.

“The other thing that you have to look at, and I’m not making excuses for him, is he’s chasing Jason Terry around. He’s not getting a lot of breaks. It’s been a long season. You can’t run around after little guys and then in the fourth quarter expect to have tremendous legs. And so if he doesn’t feel like he has great legs, he’s going to pass the ball.”

Asked to compare James to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant “killer-instinct-wise,” Dambrot said: “I think that remains to be seen. I think a lot of people are judging him on how many points he has. I think most importantly is how many wins is he going to have.

“If he wins this series and then goes on to win a lot of other series, I think all those things will be dispelled. There’s no question he has that kind of ability. I think he’ll surprise people when push comes to shove.”

Still, Dambrot did say he texted James before Game 5 and told him to relax.

“I just told him to let loose and let your talents dictate and have fun,” he said. “I think sometimes he knows that he has to win championships to go down in history as one of the greatest of all times. That’s what he wants. But I think also you have to have fun and relax and not let the pressure get to you, and that’s what I try to talk to him about…

“I just try to be there for him when he has his struggles.”

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NEW YORK – When LeBron James came to Madison Square Garden last season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was asked by a swarm of reporters his thoughts about potentially joining the Knicks as a free agent.

When he came to the Garden as a member of the Miami Heat in mid-December, he was pressed about why he made his famous “Decision.”

Now, in his latest trip to the Big Apple, James was grilled about whether the Knicks need Carmelo Anthony to make them a legitimate title contender.

“I believe that at the end of the day he has to do what’s best for himself and his family, and I think everything else takes care of itself,” James said before the Knicks beat the Heat, 93-88, at MSG.

“Carmelo has to be happy, whatever decision that he makes, either if he stays in Denver or if he’s traded. Hopefully, he can be happy. When you’re happy, the game of basketball takes care of itself.”

James didn’t deny a Sports Illustrated report that he told Anthony last summer at his wedding: “If  you want any chance against us in Miami, you’d better team up with Stoud’ in New York.”

“We said what we said but at the end of the day we was excited to be there for his wedding, him and his wife LaLa,” James said Thursday.

Stoudemire, James and his Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade (he of the banned tinted goggles) were named Eastern Conference starters for the NBA All-Star Game, along with Dwight Howard of the Magic and Derrick Rose of the Bulls.

Anthony will start for the West along with Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Chris Paul of the Hornets and Kevin Durant of the Thunder. (Yao Ming of the Rockets was picked, but he is injured.)

While the Heat have collected their “Miami Thrice” in James, Wade and the injured Chris Bosh (hamstring), the Knicks have one legitimate star in Stoudemire, their first All-Star starter since Patrick Ewing in 1997.

Raymond Felton has made a strong push to be an All-Star reserve, and the Knicks have some nice young pieces in Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Landry Fields.

But the addition of Anthony via trade or free agency could turn the Knicks into a legitimate challenger to the Heat, Celtics and Magic in the East.

“I would like to see him happy,” James reiterated. “If that’s staying in Denver or if that’s being in New York or being in New Jersey, wherever the case may be. All the speculation, I’m not a speculation guy. I’d like to see what happens and when it happens then I can make a comment about it.”

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov suddenly announced last week that his team was pulling out of the Melo Drama, perhaps because Anthony has never seemed inclined to sign his three-year, $65 million extension with the Nets.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh, meantime, knows Anthony wants to come to New York, but isn’t inclined to blow up his young nucleus to land him.

Walsh would likely have to deal a first-round pick, Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and several young pieces to land Anthony.

James, like Walsh, knows teams need depth, in addition to the presence of superstars, to compete for a title.

“When you look at Boston, when you look at the Lakers, these teams have been together for so long, they have guys even when guys get injured, they have guys that can step in and still produce,” James said.

“As a team we’re still trying to improve. The Knicks are still improving. But everyone is trying to figure out a way to get to the Lakers and get to the Celtics.”

With James having taken his talents to South Beach, the best way for the Knicks remains adding Carmelo.

But they may be best served waiting it out.

**Read the NBA.com notebook on the game with notes and quotes here.

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NEW YORK

What it revealed more than anything is that the Knicks need ‘Melo if they are ever to compete in the East with LeBron and Company and a Boston team featuring four future Hall of Famers.

In his first New York appearance since spurning the Knicks to take his talents to South Beach, King James quieted a frenzied Madison Square Garden crowd by taking over in the third quarter en route to a 32-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist performance in a 113-91 victory.

“There are certain buildings in this league that you just thrive on and you’re excited about,” said James, who’s averaged 30.5 points in 12 Garden appearances, second all-time to Michael Jordan’s 31.8 average in 31 Garden tilts.

“And this being the Mecca of basketball, as a kid you always envision not only playing in the NBA, but also having a chance to play in Madison Square Garden.”

While LeBron chose South Beach over playing 41 home games a season at the Mecca, all indications are that Carmelo, a Brooklyn guy with a Brooklyn-born wife, wants to call New York home.

He’s not afraid of the spotlight, either. Anthony’s averaged 30.4 points in eight Garden outings, trailing only Jordan and James.

This week proved that the Knicks need to bring ‘Melo to New York– whatever it takes.

If it takes acquiring a first-round pick and packaging that with Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and some combination of the young core of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields, well, then Donnie Walsh has to make it happen.

What the Heat and the Celtics have proven is that you need multiple superstars to compete in this league.

The NBA is increasingly a league of haves and have nots.

The Celtics have won 12 straight and the Heat, winners of 11 in a row, are looking more and more like a real threat for an NBA crown.

Their Big Three of James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade combined for 84 points and thrived in the spotlight of New York.

Asked about the Garden chants of “Overrated” directed his way in the first half, Bosh, who finished with 26 points and seven boards, said, “I loved it. It was a nice try.”

Asked about the performance of James, he said, “He’s an awesome player. I’m glad I’m playing with him.”

On a night when Amar’e Stoudemire looked average in scoring 24 points on 11 of 28 shooting and Raymond Felton appeared pedestrian in posting eight points on 3 of 12 shooting and 10 assists, only Gallinari stood out for the Knicks.

Gallo scored 21 of his team-best 25 points in the first half, before going quiet in the second. Chandler scored 17 points and grabbed 10 boards and got the crowd riled up with a nice transition dunk in the first half, when the game was still competitive.

The Knicks bench once again provided virtually no productivity whatsoever.

The non-starters managed just 12 total points, eight of them from Toney Douglas.

Shawne Williams, who just a short while ago seemed like instant offense off the bench, went scoreless for the fourth time in five games.

Mike D’Antoni asked Felton and Gallo to play more than 40 minutes, while Stoudemire and Chandler played nearly 38 apiece. Fields, a rookie, played nearly 34 minutes.

It’s only mid-December.

At this rate, the Knicks will be lucky if something — hopefully not his surgically repaired knee — doesn’t break on Stoudemire before too long.

“I’ve gotta figure out something,” D’Antoni said of his bench’s poor productivity. “I’ve gotta take some minutes off my guys. That’s something that we’ll have to figure out as we go forward.”

It seems more likely that the Knicks might add a backup point guard like a Sebastian Telfair in the short term, but the long-term answer is Carmelo Anthony.

Sure, the Knicks can compete for the sixth, seventh or eighth seed as presently constituted.

But what then?

A first-round loss to the Celtics or Heat or Orlando Magic, who are looking to add Gilbert Arenas, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

That’s not what Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, John McEnroe and the rest of the Garden faithful want.

No, they want the Garden buzzing again come playoff time. They want a realistic shot at a title.

Blowing up the current team by trading Gallinari, Chandler and/or Fields has its risks, sure.

But isn’t the greater risk not making a bold move?

If they can get Anthony, they have to do it.

Walsh told me earlier this week he can get first-round pick pretty much anytime he wanted.

“Oh yeah, I think I could if I had to, yeah,” he said.

He never mentioned Anthony by name but clearly the Knicks would have a better shot at this year’s big prize by adding a first-round pick.

Across the river, the Nets made a bold move to trade Terrence Williams and land two more first-round picks over the next two years, giving them five total during that span.

In the arms race that is the NBA, the Knicks must answer that challenge and they must do everything they can to go out and get Anthony.

“I think they [the Knicks] have a huge upside for this season,” Bosh said. “They’re a dangerous team.”

But as Dream Week proved, they can only become more dangerous, and a real threat to the Heat and the Celtics, by adding another superstar.

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