LeBron now speaks his mind

ORLANDO, Fla. – Head down and shoulders slumped, LeBron James(notes) headed off the court as the Orlando Magic streamers shot off above him.

Dwight Howard(notes) was hugging Hedo Turkoglu(notes), dreams of Beating L.A. dancing in their heads. James wasn’t bothering to stick around to shake hands, offer congratulations or pretend there was a bright side to the Magic ousting his Cleveland Cavaliers from the East finals with a 103-90 victory in Game 6.

James was off the floor before the confetti could hit his shoulders.

He later dressed in silence in a corner of the locker room then put on some gold, oversized headphones and headed for the door. Normally one of the last to leave, he was now one of the first. With anger and frustration evident in each step, he charged through the back halls of Amway Arena without greeting anyone, got on the team bus and soon was off to the airport.

There was no looking for his mother, Gloria. There was no talking with Nike executives. And forget addressing fans and media – Mo Williams(notes) was left to answer for the defeat.

LeBron was gone. The King was silent.

The fallout from this defeat will echo loudly all summer, though, the pressure mounting on Cavs general manager Danny Ferry.

Whether this was James’ ultra-competitiveness overwhelming his emotions or a sign of his frustration with a front office that in six seasons has failed to give him the supporting cast capable of winning a championship remains to be seen.

LeBron James, 24, is a free agent after next season and while he’s never said he would leave Cleveland, he’s never said he wouldn’t. As such, this move – his every move, actually – will be analyzed as the psyche of a championship-starved city hangs in the balance.

James doesn’t need a bigger market to be a global icon (a now-doomed Nike puppet advertising campaign is proof of that). And he doesn’t seem to possess the personality that covets the bright lights of New York or L.A. (he still lives near Akron and mostly hangs out with high school buddies or his longtime girlfriend and two young children).

He may need to leave to win a championship, though.

“Going into the playoffs we were confident that we were going to be in the NBA Finals and we were confident that we were going to win it,” Williams said. “I can understand [James’] disappointment because I’m feeling the same disappointment.”

There’s little sense in criticizing James for not speaking with the media Saturday – it’s the only thing he didn’t do in this series. He averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He offered leadership and defense. He saved Game 2 with an all-timer of a buzzer-beater.

And it wasn’t even close to enough.

Cleveland players said James did speak to them briefly in the stunned locker room and, according to Daniel Gibson(notes), said “we just need to keep working.” It was clear to everyone, however, he was taking this defeat hard.

A 66-win regular season left the Cavs optimistic they had found the parts for a championship, but deep in the playoffs, where intensity is matched and matchups get intense, the limitations are clear.

The Cavs were swept in the 2007 Finals and now have failed to get out of the East the last two seasons.

In this game, from the time the Magic trotted out the booming voice of 7-year-old Gina Marie Incandela for the national anthem to a fourth quarter filled with chants of “MVP” and “Beat L.A.,” it wasn’t so much a contest as a 2½-hour pep rally for the Finals.

All of Cleveland’s recurring problems kept accruing. Howard had 40 points and 14 rebounds as he tore through the not-prime-time frontcourt of Anderson Varejao(notes) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes). Williams had 17 point, but showed in this series he isn’t ready to be this generation’s Scottie Pippen.

The entire bench combined for just 10 points and five rebounds. Other than James, the roster lacked the size and athletic ability to deal with perimeter threats Rashard Lewis(notes) and Rafer Alston(notes).

Cleveland had the best player in this series. Orlando had the next four.

“I think this team is right there,” Williams said. “We just have to do a little bit more.”

What they have to do is get a little bit more. Despite boasting one of the highest payrolls in the league and having a half-dozen years to put together the roster, the Cavs are still a player or two away. Where Ferry finds them is the question.

He has only the midlevel salary-cap exception to spend on free agents. The Cavs discussed acquiring Shaquille O’Neal(notes) at the trade deadline, but the Phoenix Suns balked at taking back Ben Wallace(notes). The Cavs have some pieces, but no margin for error on anything less than the perfect move.

It begins with the need for a big man because it’s not like the 23-year-old Howard is going anywhere. The Magic are no fluke, they’re more than capable of beating the Lakers.


“How many games could [Cleveland] win without LeBron James?” Jerry West asked rhetorically to Reuters. By way of comparison, when Michael Jordan skipped the 1993-94 season to play baseball, the remaining Chicago Bulls won 55. West likely doubts the non-LeBron Cavs would get to 40.

In the same interview, West declared James a superior player to Kobe Bryant(notes).

Yet it is Kobe’s team, rebuilt on the fly after a stretch of mediocrity from 2005-07 that will host Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday. The Lakers will meet the Magic, who have surrounded their young star, Howard, with the perfect complementary parts.


Meanwhile LeBron waits. He’s never publicly criticized a teammate, coach or front-office decision. And he didn’t Saturday.

Maybe Gloria James taught him that if you don’t have anything nice to say, then it’s best to say nothing at all. Just head for the bus, the booming beats of the headphones droning out the questions about the immediate past and the long-term future.


from yahoo sports

James drops 37 Cavs 112-102 over Magic

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James made a new guarantee: Game 6. With Cleveland's wondrous season on the line, James had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams, who boldly predicted his team would come back and win this tight-as-can-be series, added 24 points in the Cavaliers' 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Thursday night.

It's back to Florida for Game 6 on Saturday night at amped-up Amway Arena.

You expected anything else?

"I mean this was a big game for us," James said. "You never want to disappoint the home crowd by not coming out and play as hard as you can. It was win or go home."

The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit but missed their first opportunity to close out the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. Orlando will have two more tries to reach the NBA finals for the first time since 1995.

For Cleveland, a city banking on James to deliver a championship after a 45-year drought, the MVP was again in a league of his own.

James scored 21 points in the second half — 17 in the fourth quarter — and had a hand in 29 of Cleveland's 34 points in the final 12 minutes.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 29 for Orlando, and Dwight Howard had 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:22 remaining when he was called for his sixth personal foul while trying to stop James on a drive.

Not even Superman was denying James.

And this time, Williams, his trusty sidekick all season, showed up to help him, as did Zydrunas Ilgauskas (16 points), Delonte West (13) and reserve Daniel Gibson (11), who made two huge 3-pointers in the fourth.

"We'll be back here for Game 7," Gibson told the crowd afterward.

The Magic have twice ended series on the road this postseason, winning a Game 6 in Philadelphia and a Game 7 in Boston to make the conference finals. For a while it looked like Orlando might do it again, taking a 79-78 lead into the fourth quarter.

James, though, had other plans.

He picked up his first assist of the period on 3-pointer by Williams and his second on a 3 by Gibson. Cleveland then turned to its superstar every time down on offense, spreading the floor and forcing the Magic to defend him. If he wasn't backing down the lane, he was getting to the line or setting his teammates up from the perimeter.

He also had four rebounds and four assists in the final quarter.



by the associated press

LeBron James might not see his Dream , come true this season

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mo Williams' Game 4 guarantee blew up like his swollen left eye.

Starting fast and fading late, Williams had 18 points but went scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 116-114 Tuesday night to the Orlando Magic to go down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.

"I'm a leader on this team. Whatever I can do to spark this team and give us confidence, I'll do," Williams said. "If I have to take the heat, so be it."

Cleveland's only other All-Star provided little help to LeBron James when it counted most. He deferred to the league MVP and clanked the few jumpers he took. Williams finished with five rebounds, two assists and one false proclamation.

"Guarantee we're going to win the series? Yeah, yeah," Williams said Monday.

Whoops.

His eye still swollen and stitches concealing the wound from the elbow he took in Game 3 from Orlando's Anthony Johnson, Williams had 12 points in the first half and then pretty much disappeared.

He finished 5 for 15 from the field, with eight of his points coming on free throws. Williams attempted only two shots after the third period, and like most of the Cavs, he leaned heavily on James.

"I put the ball in LeBron's hands," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "So he didn't defer. I went small. That's why he didn't get a ton of touches."

Magic point guard Rafer Alston said Williams' prediction was their biggest motivation.

"I had it in the back of my mind. I wanted to take it to him, and he wasn't even guarding me. LeBron was," Alston said.

It has been a rough series for Williams.

In the second quarter of Game 3, Johnson drove the lane and extended his elbow, knocking Williams to the floor bleeding. Williams was called for a blocking foul, and Johnson was whistled for a flagrant one foul after officials huddled. The flagrant, which Williams said was "most definitely" a cheap shot, was rescinded earlier Tuesday by the league.

His statistics are almost as painful.

Williams is 23 for 71 in the series and has been hardly as efficient as he was in the regular season, when he averaged a career-high 17.8 points. Game 5 is Thursday night in Cleveland, and now the Cavs must do what only eight teams in NBA history ever have: come back from a 3-1 hole.

The time for guarantees is almost up.

"Nobody would be asking about it, they'd be talking good about it, we would be 2-2 right now if we won," Williams said. "Our coach would look real good."



by the associated press

No. 23 reigns in Cleveland

CLEVELAND – It was happening again. God, it was happening again here. Another championship season had come crashing down on Cleveland, cruel and criminal. The Cavaliers had unraveled and now there were some fans – speechless and ashen – marching up the stairs and disappearing to the exits. They weren’t thinking about the possibility of LeBron James(notes) getting one final shot for redemption, but Michael Jordan and John Elway and every damn dagger ever delivered to this city’s swollen sporting heart.


One second left, and a Cleveland sports season had come to die in Quicken Loans Arena. Shakespeare should’ve been a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. No city does sports tragedy like this one.


Yes, somehow it was happening again to Cleveland.

“A second,” LeBron James countered, “is a long time for me.”

The Cavaliers’ Mo Williams(notes) had the job of passing the ball inbounds with the Magic still bursting over a 23-point comeback on Friday night, over a tough, twisting Hedo Turkoglu(notes) basket with one second left in Game 2. The loudest arena in the league had lost its voice, its breath, its bearings. It felt like it had lost this season. The Cleveland fan has been conditioned to believe something precious is destined to perish.


Yes, it was happening again, and suddenly the ball reached the hands of LeBron James and the course of NBA playoff history was transformed. He turned, shot over Turkoglu and a rapidly closing Rashard Lewis(notes). The shot lofted long and high and true across 24 feet, across the years of Cavs angst and anguish

When everyone expected the sky to fall in Cleveland, something else dropped down: Sweet salvation.

“It was like watching a movie,” Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) said. “The ball was just spinning. … It was like watching a real movie. … ”

“He hit the shot.”

He hit the shot?


LeBron James hit the shot.


Cleveland beat the Orlando Magic, 96-95, on James’ 3-pointer at the buzzer, and salvaged itself a 1-1 series tie in the Eastern Conference finals. Truth be told, they salvaged the season, too. The Cavs should’ve lost on Friday night, and they know it. They’re struggling with everything about these Magic, and LeBron will have to do more and more to keep the Cavs alive with the mismatches destroying them everywhere on the floor. They should’ve been on the way to Orlando with the once-unthinkable possibility of a Magic sweep looming like an anvil over this series.


So, yes, they stormed the court and tackled James, and you’ve never, ever heard such a spontaneous, primal scream of 20,000 people in an arena. Never, ever seen such a reaction, such joy and relief and sheer ecstacy. The arena shook, strangers hugged strangers, and yes, the Cavaliers rushed James like high school kids who won a sectional title.


Williams, the passer, collapsed to his knees and pounded the floor over and over and over. He hit it 10 times, maybe 11. He looked like he wanted to cry.

This was one of the greatest shots in NBA history, because of the circumstances and stakes and degree of difficulty. Twenty years ago, it was Jordan over Craig Ehlo to beat the Cavs in the Eastern Conference playoffs.


This time, it was James over Turkoglu. This time, it was James over long odds and the longer reach of NBA history.

“He was born to do that,” Cleveland’s Sasha Pavlovic(notes) marveled.


He was born to do that here.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Across the fourth quarter, on the way to his 35 points, James had deferred to his teammates to take important shots. No more now. As the Cavs went into the timeout after Turkoglu’s shot, James made it clear: This was his shot, his story to finish. No decoys. This wasn’t time to be Magic, but Michael. Witness this

“Whatever happens,” James yelled to Williams in the huddle, “I’m going to come get the ball.” Whatever options fall apart, James insisted to his point guard that he would find a way to get open and promised him, “I’m going to knock down the shot.”

Turkoglu had made an immense shot over Pavlovic to take a 95-93 lead, but he made one grave mistake:


He left a second on the clock.


He left LeBron life.


Lewis, 6-foot-10, covered Williams on the inbounds pass. He’s long and angular and able to make it difficult for the Cavaliers point guard to get a clear-sighted passing lane. As Williams walked past midcourt, where an official waited to hand him the ball, he kept saying to himself, “Please God … please God … something … something.”


After that, Williams told the official: Please give me the five-second count out loud. Cleveland was out of timeouts. Williams had one chance to get the ball to James, where he could catch, turn and shoot. One second, one chance.


Cleveland coach Mike Brown had diagrammed a lob pass for James. He would fake back to the ball and turn hard toward the rim. “When I went to go for the lob, Hedo didn’t bite on it,” James said.


The ref’s count was climbing, “Two … Three … ”


Lewis had his back to the floor, his eyes burned into those of Williams. Everything told him the Magic had this inbounds play defended perfectly, that they had James bottled in the cluster of bodies behind him. “I could see [Williams] face scrunching up,” Lewis said. “He didn’t know who to throw the ball to. He double-pumped two, three times … ”

Finally, James stayed true to his word. He sprinted back beyond the 3-point line, and the referee’s count had reached four – one more second, and it would’ve been a violation – and Williams fired a perfect pass some 15 feet to James.


“Rashard played it perfect,” James said. “He stood tall and got in Mo’s way.”

Lewis turned over his shoulder, saw James catching the ball 25 feet out and used those long, loping strides to make a final, desperate run to contest the shot. Turkoglu was there, rising with LeBron.


“LeBron just jumps so high on his shot, you can’t get to the ball,” Lewis said. “The ball felt like it took forever to come down.”

Once Mo Williams let go of the pass, once he watched James catch and shoot, all he could think was: When will that ball ever come down? Once it dropped through the net, and a blurring, bum rush of Cavs toppled James, Williams’ knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor.


“I was punch drunk,” he said. “I just fell down. I just … fell … down.”

It was a shot, James says, he had made thousands and thousands of times 30 miles down the road in Akron. He was always Jordan, always No. 23. “That’s a shot that you will see for a long time,” James said. “You watch classic games and you see Jordan hit game-winners, and you go back and see Jerry West hitting game-winners and Magic Johnson going across the lane and hitting the hook against Boston.”


Mostly, LeBron James was thinking about Michael Jordan on Friday night. He’s the ghost who always haunted these Cavs, and the inspiration that drove James to basketball genius. He isn’t chasing Kobe Bryant(notes) as much as he’s chasing Michael. What Elway always did to the Browns, Jordan always did to the Cavs.


Past midnight, past one of the great finishes in NBA history, James told everyone: “That guy is not in the league anymore. The other ‘23’ is gone, so we don’t have to worry about that no more.”

“ … Twenty-three is on the good side now.”

James hadn’t had one of these shots in the playoffs, and he understood that history demands you deliver these bigger-than-life moments. Yes, he made this shot thousands of times growing up in Akron, in the shadow of a city going on 45 years without a professional championship. “The Shot” still belongs to No. 23 in Cleveland – just no longer Michael Jordan.


Yes, it was happening again here. But as it turned out, this wasn’t one more Cleveland sporting collapse. Twenty years later, it was “The Shot” reborn on the Cavs’ side, on Jordan’s anniversary.

“We are playing with history in the making,” Wally Szczerbiak(notes) said. “He’s going to be the best basketball player to ever touch a ball.”

Nearby, Mo Williams still wore his uniform, still a face flushed in delirium.


“What just happened out there?” he asked.


Outside his locker, his knees on ice, LeBron James looked up and offered a knowing nod and smile.


“Just say thank you to the basketball gods,” he said.


The basketball god, LeBron James means.


Once more, he wears No. 23.


from yahoo sports

LeBron James can’t be stopped ?

ATLANTA — When LeBron James has one of those nights, everyone else turns into fans.

His teammates? Yep. Even his coach.

"I try as much as possible,” Cleveland’s Mike Brown said Sunday, "to stay out of the way.”

With one of his best performances ever, James carried the Cavaliers to the brink of another playoff sweep. The Atlanta Hawks sure know what they’re up against, having watched their most inspired showing of the series turned into just another loss by the MVP’s 47 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

"Right now, he’s playing at such a high level,” said Hawks coach Mike Woodson, sounding a bit disheartened as his team heads into Game 4 tonight. "Man, it’s crazy how good he’s playing. It really is.”

James has that look Michael Jordan used to bring out at playoff time, a steely eyed determination to win a championship no matter what’s in the way. If that means taking every big shot, so be it. If that means turning the game into me against them, well, that’s the way it has to be.

James has played 108 minutes in this series — and scored 108 points.

As Brown said, stay out of the way.

"He is making so many special plays,” teammate Mo Williams said, meeting with the media on a patio at the team’s luxury hotel on a warm, sunny off day. "We just try to give him some space.”

While James’ performance in a 97-82 victory Saturday night didn’t quite reach the level of his 48-point effort against Detroit in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals — that was the one where he scored his team’s last 25 points in a double-overtime victory, on the way to Cleveland’s first appearance in the NBA championship series — it certainly ranked in the top five.

James made 15 of 25 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range. He drew one foul after another, going 12 of 16 at the free-throw line (compared with Atlanta’s 7-of-11 showing as a team). He led all rebounders with 12, leading the Cavaliers to a mammoth 46-23 edge on the boards. On those rare occasions when he couldn’t create a shot of his own, he dished out eight assists. He also had a steal, as well as a blocked shot.

It sure looked like fun.

"I’m always having fun,” James said. "I love the game with a passion.”

Amazingly for someone who had the ball in his hands so much, he turned it over all of one time.

"Our guys did the best they could to guard him,” Atlanta’s Flip Murray said. "But when you’re hitting shots like that, it’s hard for anyone to guard.”

Murray is a former teammate, but this isn’t the King James he remembers.

"He’s matured a lot since I was there with him. He’s more vocal. He’s the leader of their team,” Murray said. "He’s definitely matured into the superstar he is today.”

The Hawks tried to guard James with two or three players, but it really didn’t matter. Once he pulled up at the top of the key, a good five feet shy of the 3-point line, and hoisted a shot before Atlanta had time to react.

Swish.

A couple of times, he dribbled past all five players on the home team, weaving as though he were a catch-me-if-you-can point guard — not a 6-foot-8, 250-pounder. The result was the same.

Swish.

"When he’s really got it going,” Williams said, "it doesn’t matter how many players are on him.”

While Brown complained that his team was a bit stagnant offensively, it was certainly easy to understand the way James was playing. After the Hawks went on a 13-0 run that gave them their first second-half lead of the series, the Cavaliers turned to their star to bale them out.

Boy, did he ever.

James scored five points in a 10-2 spurt that closed the third, sending Cleveland to the final period with a still tenuous 72-65 lead. Not to worry. He skipped his usual break at the start of the fourth and turned the quarter into his personal showcase, scoring 13 of Cleveland’s final 25 points before he left with 44 seconds to go.

"I knew how important this game was,” James said. "I didn’t want the momentum to shift again. I asked coach to leave me in, so he left me in, and we did what we had to do to win the game.”



by the associated press

Cavaliers to 97-82 win with King James with 47

ATLANTA (AP)—The Cleveland Cavaliers were actually being challenged.

Finally, LeBron James(notes) had seen enough.

James scored 47 points in his best game yet of these playoffs, leading the Cavaliers to the brink of their second straight postseason sweep with a 97-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

“He took the ball, put it in his hands and said he was going to score for us, so I told him, ‘OK,”’ Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “I just told everybody else, ‘Let’s defend.”’

Back home after two blowout losses in Cleveland, the Hawks put up their best fight of the series. It didn’t matter, not against King James. They now find themselves just one defeat away from calling it a season, the Cavaliers pushing out to another 3-0 lead after breezing past Detroit in the opening round.

Cleveland kept up its dominating run through the playoffs, setting an NBA record with its seventh straight double-figure win to eclipse the mark set by the 2004 Indiana Pacers. The only solace for the Hawks: They stopped Cleveland’s streak of 20-point playoff wins at three.

The Hawks were only down 47-46 at the halftime, and they surged back into their first second-half lead of the series with a 13-0 run in the third quarter. But Zaza Pachulia(notes) got ejected for arguing a foul call—acting as though he might attack the officials—and Atlanta faded away down the stretch.

James eclipsed his previous high in these playoffs of 38 points vs. the Pistons, and finished just one off his best playoff performance ever, a 48-point night against Detroit while leading Cleveland to its first trip ever to the NBA finals.

They appear to be on the way again, especially with the league’s MVP leading the way.

James hit a running 13-footer to send the Cavaliers to the final period with a 72-65 lead. If the Hawks had any thoughts of a comeback, James quickly erased them.

He hit a jumper near the courtside seat and slapped his hands in delight with just over 8 minutes remaining. On Cleveland’s next possession, James stood out near the half-court line, barking instructions at his teammates. Delonte West(notes) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) both popped out to set picks, and James weaved his way through the Atlanta defense before pulling up to launch a floater just off the foul lane.

Nothing but net.

James repeated the same drill from the opposite side, only this time he cut along the baseline, drawing virtually every Atlanta player his way, before dumping off to a wide-open Ilgauskas under the basket. The Hawks had no choice but to hack the big man as he went up to shoot, stopping the layup but sending him to the foul line.

“LeBron was just out of his mind tonight,” Atlanta’s Josh Smith(notes) said.

Indeed, while James was a virtual one-man show, he kept his teammates involved by dishing out eight assists. If that wasn’t enough, he led Cleveland to a dominant performance on the boards, 46-23, with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Finally, with 44 seconds remaining, James’ work was done. He went off to a big ovation from the smattering of Cleveland fans who hung around to chant, “MVP! MVP! MVP!”

James has been incredibly efficient in this series, playing 108 minutes and scoring 108 points.

Atlanta was hardly in position to challenge the Cavaliers, who had the league’s best record during the regular season (66-16). When factoring in that three starters—Joe Johnson(notes), Al Horford(notes) and Marvin Williams(notes)—were hurting, there seemed little chance of Atlanta challenging the Cavaliers.


But they did for nearly three quarters. Though Pachulia’s ejection seemed to take any life out of the raucous crowd—and the home team. The Hawks were outscored 31-17 after the emotional Georgian was tossed.

“I thought it was an offensive foul,” Pachulia said. “Maybe I overreacted.”

Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

James was 15 of 25 from the field, went 5 of 10 outside the 3-point arc (even banking in one), and wound up making more free throws—12 of 16—than the entire Hawks’ team attempted (7 of 11).

“He’s not the MVP for nothing,” Pachulia said. “He’s the best player in the league. He knows when to push the gas. That’s what he did.”

Johnson, who didn’t decide until game time that he was healthy enough to play, led the Hawks with 21 points. Smith added 18 and Flip Murray(notes) 17.

Ilgauskas scored 14, West had 12 and Mo Williams(notes) 11 for the Cavaliers


by the associated press

Cavaliers 105, Hawks 85

CLEVELAND — From his corner cubicle in Cleveland’s locker room, LeBron James kept his eyes riveted on the flat-screen TV. He wanted to see every replay.

There was his no-look pass to Wally Szczerbiak. There was his reverse dunk in the final seconds of the first quarter. And then there was his majestic, step-back 3-pointer to beat the halftime horn.

Seeing it on tape for the first time, James smiled, stood and repeated his arm-swinging gesture.

It’s all easy. Maybe too easy.

James scored 27 points, ending the first and second quarters with last-second baskets, and Mo Williams added 15 points as the untested Cavaliers overpowered the Atlanta Hawks 105-85 on Thursday night to open a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

"I’m having fun,” James said. "I’m having a ball.”

Now a perfect 6-0 in the postseason, the Cavaliers tied a league record by winning their sixth consecutive playoff game by double digits. The only other team to do it was the 2004 Indiana Pacers. Cleveland also matched the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers by winning three straight games by at least 20 points in a postseason.

"I don’t want to say I’m surprised,” James said of Cleveland’s playoff dominance. "We’re just a really good team. We’re really confident and we believe in each other.”

Maurice Evans scored 16 points and Mike Bibby had 11 for the Hawks, who were missing center Al Horford and forward Marvin Williams because of injuries. If that wasn’t bad enough, leading scorer Joe Johnson rolled his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return.

His status for Game 3 on Saturday wasn’t known.


by the associated press

LeBron James is your MVP

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — On one of the biggest days of his life, LeBron James took the long way home. Once inside his hometown's city limits, James pulled his high-powered Ferrari off I-77 and drove the back roads to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, his alma mater.

Turning on Maple Street, he went past his first house on Hickory. Then, it was past the one on Silver Street, where his mother, Gloria, began raising him by herself. James visited The Boondocks, where he and his friends first dribbled on the playgrounds.

James retraced the steps on Monday. His path to NBA superstardom.

An unstoppable offensive force who became an elite defender this season, James claimed the league MVP, receiving the award in the gym where he first became a star.

"This is a place where all my dreams started and where I thought they could become real," James said. "There's really not a better place."

The Ohio kid anointed King James as a teenager has a new crown.

An MVP vote some expected to be close was another slam dunk by James. He received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members in the U.S. and Canada.

Bryant, last year's winner, got two first-place votes and finished with 698 points. Miami guard Dwyane Wade was third with 680 points and was named first on seven ballots. Orlando center Dwight Howard (328) was fourth followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul (192).

The race was never in doubt. It was James all along.

"I'm 24 years old and I'm receiving this award, I never thought it would happen this fast," he said, standing under three state title banners he helped win for the Fighting Irish. "I never dreamed about being MVP, but if I said I didn't enjoy this award I'd be lying. Hard work pays off and dreams do come true."

James is the first Cavaliers player to win the award. He averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, his sixth as a pro. He also finished second in voting for defensive player of the year, making him perhaps the league's most dominant two-way player since Michael Jordan.

Along with a trophy, James was given a new car, which he donated to a local charity.

After learning he won, James knew he wanted to share it with family and friends. He knew there was only one place to do it: At his beloved St. V., the school where he was a high school phenom.

As James — who got a police escort for the final miles — drove up about an hour before the ceremony in his metallic gray $225,000 car with W1TNES vanity license plates, a crowd chanting "M-V-P" rushed into the street outside the school.

The scene was more civil later when James took the stage and was serenaded by hundreds of students sitting in the same bleachers he used to.

The setting was fitting for James, who earlier this year had the words "Loyalty" and "Family" tattooed vertically along his rib cage.

In the past, the MVP trophy has been presented at team practice facilities or arenas. But James wanted a special location.

League spokesman Brian McIntyre said the intimate ceremony was unlike any before.

"When he heard what LeBron wanted to do, we gave it about a second's thought, and said that's a great idea," he said. "This was wonderful."

James credited his Cavaliers teammates, who attended the ceremony along with coach Mike Brown, for raising their games in Cleveland's best season ever. The Cavs went 66-16, 39-2 at home and earned the top seed in the playoffs — a franchise first.

"Individual accolades come when team success happens," James said. "You look at those 14 guys over there, I got the award because of them. They put in the work."

James invited his teammates to the podium and presented each with an expensive camera.

"This award is going to be like the both of ours, but I'm going to keep it at my house," he cracked.

At 24 years, 106 days on the final day of the regular season, James is the youngest player to win the award since Moses Malone (24 years, 16 days) in 1978-79. Wes Unseld was 23 when he won it in 1968-69.

James vied all season for MVP honors with Bryant and Wade, his teammates on the U.S. gold medalist Olympic team last summer.

"He deserved it," Wade said. "I said all year, I thought LeBron was the MVP of this league. He's a guy who every year is going to be in that conversation. ... He showed it all year, especially with his team's success."

Focused from the start, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound James sharpened his already formidable skills this season.

He started a career-high 81 games and set personal bests in field-goal (49) and free-throw (79) percentages as well as blocks (93). James became the second player to post five straight seasons of at least 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. The other is Robertson, whose versatile game is the one to which James' is most often compared.

James nearly averaged a triple-double — 32 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists — as the top-seeded Cavaliers breezed through the first round of the playoffs, sweeping Detroit in four games. Cleveland hosts the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 on Tuesday.

"My mission hasn't been completed," James said. "I still I have a lot of things I want to do this season. I want to have another celebration in June."

With his longtime girlfriend, Savannah, and their two sons sitting up front, James thanked his family, friends and former teammates during a touching speech. Promising not to cry, he spoke fondly of his mom, who struggled to raise her only son.

"I don't know how you did it," James said.

Better than anyone, Gloria James understood her son's trip through his old neighborhoods.

"It didn't surprise me," she said. "He has never forgotten where he came from."

Soon, it was time for James to head home, a place he never left.


by the associated press

Kobe Bryant or LeBron James , who is the MVP for the NBA

Who is the MVP ? In the NBA , for 2008 ,2009 season .

Kobe Bryant or LeBron James ?

KoBe Bryant
Season Team G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
08-09 LAL 69 69 36.4 0.470 0.342 0.863 1.1 4.3 5.4 4.9 1.4 0.5 2.68 2.30 27.7
Career 935 787 36.5 0.455 0.340 0.840 1.2 4.1 5.3 4.6 1.5 0.5 2.92 2.70 25.2

LeBron James
Season Team G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
08-09 CLE 70 70 38.1 0.488 0.331 0.768 1.4 6.2 7.6 7.3 1.8 1.3 3.01 1.80 28.6
Career 461 460 40.7 0.470 0.325 0.735 1.3 5.7 7.0 6.7 1.8 0.8 3.28 2.00 27.5

LeBron James Stats

2008-09 Statistics
PPG 28.6 RPG 7.60 APG 7.3 EFF + 30.91 Born: Dec 30, 1984
Height: 6-8 / 2,03
Weight: 250 lbs. / 113,4 kg.
High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH)
Years Pro: 5

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
03-04 CLE 79 79 39.5 0.417 0.290 0.754 1.3 4.2 5.5 5.9 1.6 0.7 3.46 1.90 20.9
04-05 CLE 80 80 42.4 0.472 0.351 0.750 1.4 6.0 7.4 7.2 2.2 0.6 3.28 1.80 27.2
05-06 CLE 79 79 42.5 0.480 0.335 0.738 0.9 6.1 7.0 6.6 1.6 0.8 3.29 2.30 31.4
06-07 CLE 78 78 40.9 0.476 0.319 0.698 1.1 5.7 6.7 6.0 1.6 0.7 3.21 2.20 27.3
07-08 CLE 75 74 40.4 0.484 0.315 0.712 1.8 6.1 7.9 7.2 1.8 1.1 3.40 2.20 30.0
08-09 CLE 70 70 38.1 0.488 0.331 0.768 1.4 6.2 7.6 7.3 1.8 1.3 3.01 1.80 28.6
Career -- 461 460 40.7 0.470 0.325 0.735 1.3 5.7 7.0 6.7 1.8 0.8 3.28 2.00 27.5
All-Star -- 5 5 30.2 0.516 0.382 0.545 0.8 5.8 6.6 5.2 1.4 0.4 3.00 1.00 23.4
Career Season Totals
Year Team G GS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
03-04 CLE 79 79 3,122 622-1,492 63-217 347-460 99 333 432 465 130 58 273 149 1,654
04-05 CLE 80 80 3,388 795-1,684 108-308 477-636 111 477 588 577 177 52 262 146 2,175
05-06 CLE 79 79 3,361 875-1,823 127-379 601-814 75 481 556 521 123 66 260 181 2,478
06-07 CLE 78 78 3,190 772-1,621 99-310 489-701 83 443 526 470 125 55 250 171 2,132
07-08 CLE 75 74 3,027 794-1,642 113-359 549-771 133 459 592 539 138 81 255 165 2,250
08-09 CLE 70 70 2,666 688-1,411 111-335 512-667 99 434 533 508 125 88 211 129 1,999
Career -- 461 460 18,754 4,546-9,673 621-1,908 2,975-4,049 600 2,627 3,227 3,080 818 400 1,511 941 12,688
All-Star -- 5 5 151 49-95 13-34 6-11 4 29 33 26 7 2 15 5 117
Career Playoff Averages
Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
05-06 CLE 13 13 46.5 0.476 0.333 0.737 1.7 6.4 8.1 5.8 1.4 0.7 5.00 3.40 30.8
06-07 CLE 20 20 44.7 0.416 0.280 0.755 1.3 6.8 8.1 8.0 1.7 0.5 3.30 2.00 25.1
07-08 CLE 13 13 42.5 0.411 0.257 0.731 1.2 6.6 7.8 7.6 1.8 1.3 4.15 2.50 28.2
Career -- 46 46 44.5 0.433 0.288 0.742 1.4 6.6 8.0 7.3 1.6 0.8 4.02 2.50 27.5
Career Playoff Totals
Year Team G GS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
05-06 CLE 13 13 604 146-307 21-63 87-118 22 83 105 76 18 9 65 44 400
06-07 CLE 20 20 893 166-399 21-75 148-196 26 135 161 159 34 10 66 40 501
07-08 CLE 13 13 552 113-275 18-70 122-167 16 86 102 99 23 17 54 33 366
Career -- 46 46 2,049 425-981 60-208 357-481 64 304 368 334 75 36 185 117 1,267
Playoffs Ranks

Regular Season Ranks
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Points Per Game(28.6)
Ranks #24 in the NBA in Rebounds Per Game(7.6)
Ranks #10 in the NBA in Assists Per Game(7.3)
Ranks #33 in the NBA in Field-Goal Percentage(0.488)
Ranks #6 in the NBA in Steals Per Game(1.79)
Ranks #22 in the NBA in Blocks Per Game(1.26)
Ranks #9 in the NBA in Minutes Per Game(38.1)
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Minutes Played(2666.0)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Field Goals Made(688.0)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Field Goal Attempts(1411.0)
Ranks #26 in the NBA in Three-Point Field Goals Made(111.0)
Ranks #16 in the NBA in Three-Point Field Goal Attempts(335.0)
Ranks #1 in the NBA in Free Throws(512.0)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts(667.0)
Ranks #13 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds(434.0)
Ranks #14 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per Game(6.2)
Ranks #21 in the NBA in Total Rebounds(533.0)
Ranks #7 in the NBA in Assists(508.0)
Ranks #6 in the NBA in Steals(125.0)
Ranks #18 in the NBA in Blocks(88.0)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Points(1999.0)
Ranks #28 in the NBA in Assists Per Turnover(2.41)
Ranks #34 in the NBA in Steals Per Turnover(0.59)
Ranks #18 in the NBA in Double-doubles(24.0)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Triple-doubles(24.0)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Field Goals Per 48 Minutes(12.39)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Field-Goal Attempts Per 48 Minutes(25.41)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Free Throws Per 48 Minutes(9.22)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts Per 48 Minutes(12.01)
Ranks #43 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per 48 Minutes(7.8)
Ranks #17 in the NBA in Assists Per 48 Minutes(9.1)
Ranks #15 in the NBA in Steals Per 48 Minutes(2.25)
Ranks #41 in the NBA in Blocks Per 48 Minutes(1.58)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes(36.0)
Ranks #6 in the NBA in Total Turnovers(211.0)
Ranks #1 in the NBA in Total Efficiency Points(2164.0)
Ranks #1 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking(30.91)
Ranks #1 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking Per 48 Minutes(38.96)
Ranks #12 in the NBA in Turnovers Per Game(3.01)
Ranks #19 in the NBA in Turnovers Per 48 Minutes(3.8)

Season Highs/Career Highs

Points 55 @ Milwaukee 02/20/09 56 @ Toronto 03/20/05
Field Goals Made 17 @ New York 02/04/09 19 3 Times
Field Goals Attempted 33 @ New York 02/04/09 36 @ Toronto 03/20/05
Three Point Field Goals Made 8 @ Milwaukee 02/20/09 8 @ Milwaukee 02/20/09
Three Point Field Goals Attempted 11 2 Times 13 3 Times
Free Throws Made 16 @ New York 02/04/09 24 @ Miami 03/12/06
Free Throws Attempted 22 @ Milwaukee 02/20/09 28 @ Miami 03/12/06
Offensive Rebounds 6 @ Phoenix 03/12/09 6 @ Phoenix 03/12/09
Defensive Rebounds 11 4 Times 17 vs. New York 04/14/05
Total Rebounds 15 vs. Sacramento 01/27/09 19 vs. Charlotte 01/11/08
Assists 14 @ Portland 01/21/09 15 vs. Memphis 01/26/05
Steals 5 vs. New York 12/03/08 7 @ Memphis 12/13/04
Blocks 4 vs. Indiana 11/07/08 5 2 Times
Minutes Played 47 2 Times 55 vs. Memphis 11/29/03


Info 'NBA.Com.LebBron James