The slow crumbling of the relationship between LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers fans continued last week, with another incident that might be even more damning than  wearing a New York Yankees hat. What could inspire enough hatred that James was actually booed in the closing seconds of a win? The CLEVELAND PLAIN-DEALER says he did the unthinkable: he denied the fans a chance for a free Taco Bell Chalupa.

See, the Cavaliers beat the Bucks 99-93 last Tuesday, with James dribbling out the clock under orders from head coach Mike Brown rather than going for one more score. This incensed Cavs fans: there is a promotion in Cleveland where fans receive a free Chalupa if the team scores more than 100 points.

Fast forward to the locker room Saturday night before the game against the Jazz, where James is talking with reporters. And he still won’t let Chalupagate go, going off on a mini-rant at the Cavs fans who didn’t get a free Fourth Meal:

“I can’t believe people who buy season tickets get worked up over a g– d— $1 (blank) taco.”

First off, LeBron, it’s not a taco. It’s a Chalupa. It has a deep-fried flatbread, not a taco shell. They are totally different. It’s an insult to call a Chalupa a taco. Would you call wrap and sandwich? No. Then get your Taco Bell menu items straight, LeBron.

But also, in light of the fact that the country is facing its most difficult economic times since the Depression, athletes who are making more money than the GDP of some small European countries probably shouldn’t be griping about fans wanting to get a free Chalupa. Then again, I suspect that King James is so thin-skinned because he mentally checked out of Cleveland and ready to go anywhere else.

By the way, there is only one Taco Bell in Manhattan, LeBron, so it’s fair to say that Knicks fans aren’t as Chalupa crazed as their backwoods brethren in Cleveland.