say Thursday about the prospect of playing with Dwyane Wade next
season, and that was fine. Having them on the same court was enough of
a treat for now.
The two All-Stars put on a show in
their first showdown of the season, and James scored 34 points to help
the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 111-104.
Wade scored 36 points but couldn’t rally the Heat from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Mo Williams made five 3-pointers and
scored 25 points for the Cavs, while Shaquille O’Neal added 14 in a
return to his former home court. J.J. Hickson, making his third
consecutive start, had a career-high 18 points.
But in the end, it was James leading
the way. He scored Cleveland’s final eight points over the last 2:42.
He finished with seven assists and went 16 for 18 from the free-throw
line.
The Cavs’ point total was a season
high. They won in Florida for the second time in as many nights after
beating Orlando on Wednesday.
Michael Beasley scored 24 points for the Heat, who lost for only the second time.
James and Wade shared a long embrace
just before tip-off, and they joked during a timeout near the end of the
first half. They can opt out of their contracts next year, and on
Wednesday, Wade said the pair have talked about going to the same team.
James then said he won’t discuss free
agency with reporters any more until the end of the season. For now, at
least, the two good friends entertain as opponents.
Wade made a 3-pointer, blocked a
shot and sank another shot to cut the margin to 103-99 with three
minutes left, but the Heat got no closer. James answered with a
3-pointer, then made five free throws to make it 111-102 with 57
seconds to go as the arena quickly emptied.
Wade made the first
highlight-footage contribution with a driving dunk over 6-foot-11
Anderson Varejao. They drew a double technical moments later for a
heated exchange.
Wade sank a 3-pointer over James
with 4 seconds left in the first quarter. James then hit a running
22-footer at the buzzer to put the Cavs up 35-33.
James missed his first five shots but still scored 15 points in the quarter.
Williams made seven consecutive
shots during one stretch, and his 3-pointers helped the Cavs take a
92-84 lead into the final period.
Notes
Michael Jordan watched
sitting next to Heat president Pat Riley. They were two rows behind
Scottie Pippen, who sat courtside. … Wade scored at least 20 points
for the 21st consecutive time, tying his franchise record.