ANTHONY'S LATE OT WINNER HELPS NUGGETS SNAP CAVS' WIN STREAK

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony sank the go-ahead jumper over LeBron James with 1.9 seconds left in overtime, and James missed a game- winning three at the other end as Denver took a 118-116 win over Cleveland.

James had a 43-point, 15-assist, 13-rebound triple-double for the Cavaliers, and sank a game-tying three in the final minute of regulation. But it was Anthony who came up huge in the final seconds of the extra session as Denver snapped Cleveland's 13-game winning streak.

Anthony finished with 40 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nuggets, who swept the season series, having taken a two-point win over Cleveland on January 8 in Denver.

Kenyon Martin had 18 points and 17 rebounds for Denver, which was playing its first game since head coach George Karl disclosed Tuesday he has a treatable form of neck and throat cancer.

Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points for Cleveland, which also had its 11-game home winning streak come to an end.

In overtime, Chauncey Billups sank a key three from the left corner, which put the Nuggets ahead 116-111 with 1:18 on the clock. But the Cavaliers came back, beginning with Anthony Parker's two foul shots moments later.

After a series of missed shots, James drove past Nene on the left side and got his runner to fall as he was fouled. The subsequent free throw evened the game with 23.1 seconds to play.

The Nuggets went to Anthony at the other end and the star delivered. He quickly rose for a shot on the left side, getting it off over James' outstretched arm, and the ball fell through with 1.9 on the clock.

James got the ball on an inbounds play and slipped, but managed to get a long three-pointer away before the buzzer. Incredibly, it was on the mark, but the ball hit off the rim to seal the Nuggets' win.

The end of regulation provided similar theatrics to send the contest to an extra session.

With just under two minutes left, Martin sank a jumper to make it a 102-102 game, and Billups sank two foul shots moments later to put the Nuggets in front.

James then made only 1-of-2 from the line before he and Anthony put on a coast-to-coast exhibition of great players at work. First, Anthony had the ball with his back to James and spun to his left to get into open space. Anthony quickly shifted direction before getting a short shot to fall for a 106-103 edge with 57.5 seconds left.

But James had an almost immediate answer, draining a three less than 10 seconds later.

Both teams had chances for points in the remaining time, but Parker missed a three before Billups' three was off the mark. James missed a desperation three at the buzzer sounded.

Martin had 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter to help the Nuggets take a 31-21 lead. They expanded their lead to a game-high 15 several times early in the frame, including when a J.R. Smith jumper made it 38-23.

However, the Cavaliers scored the next eight points and were within 52-44 at the break.

Cleveland drew even with a five-point burst near the midway point of the third quarter. James ended it with a jumper for a 60-60 game, and the Cavaliers edged in front later in the frame, taking a 79-75 edge to the fourth.

Cleveland was ahead 94-87 with just under eight minutes left, but the Nuggets followed with the next seven points to even the score again. Read More

source: tsn.ca

Watch out for the James and Jamison Gang

There's no doubt that by obtaining the services of Antawn Jamison in a three-team trade , the Cleveland Cavaliers have greatly increased their chances of winning the championship.

Here's Jamison's upside:

• He excels at facing up, faking and then driving right from the left side of the court -- aiming to finish at the rim or else unleash a fadeaway jumper.

• He can also drive left, but he'll then usually pull up and shoot.

• He's an excellent in-the-paint scorer with a quick release on a flip shot.

• From the left block, Jamison's right-handed jump hook is a deadly one.

• From the right block, he'll add a turnaround jumper to his jump hook.

• With his feet set, he can nail treys with regularity.

• He's an above-average rebounder.

• He's long, athletic and runs the floor with all his might.

• Having Jamison on the floor virtually prohibits the defense from double-teaming Shaq (as they could when J.J. Hickson started) and also discourages them from two-timing LeBron James.

• He's a terrific third option behind LeBron and Mo Williams, one who can spread the floor and give the Cavs exceptional firepower.

• He gives LBJ another dangerous kick-out target when the defense collapses around LeBron's penetrations.

• Jamison also provides an experienced go-to scorer when he plays on the second unit.

• Given that he's already under contract for two more years, he's less of a flight risk than Amar'e Stoudemire would be. Plus, he's a much more mature individual and a more versatile scorer than Stoudemire.

• Unlike Stoudemire, Jamison won't feel shortchanged and whine when he's not the focus of the offense.

• Using Hickson off the bench will give the Cavs an infusion of aggressive power to go along with Anderson Varejao's quickness and hustle.

On the downside of the deal:

• Several of Jamison's previous coaches have privately, but persistently, complained about his being soft and reluctant to bang.

• Indeed, he will force shots in the low post if defenders ignore his fakes and absorb his lightweight bumps.

• Jamison is an inadequate defender, whose routine lapses will wind up putting extra fouls on Shaq and Varejao.

• Jamison is also a poor passer whose sticky fingers can unilaterally abort the timing and rhythm of the offense.

Sebastian Telfair is strictly a throw-in who, except for dire emergencies, will remain glued to the bench.

Overall, the trade represents a huge boost for Cleveland, leaving no chance for it to be caught from behind by either Orlando or Boston -- and also giving Phil Jackson nightmares. Read More

source:foxnews.com

LeBron deserves great teammates more than once per year

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Once a year we get to see it. But only once a year. It's not enough to sustain me, but it'll have to do, because this is all there is. It's the NBA All-Star Game, and this is what it looks like when LeBron James plays with great teammates.
This is what I want to see on a regular basis, only I can't, because James plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- and Cleveland has one of the worst supporting casts in the NBA. If you doubt the last dozen words of that sentence, see for yourself. It isn't hard. Mentally remove the best player from every team in the league, and then study what's left. On almost any roster you can name, players 2-12 will be better than players 2-12 on Cleveland's roster. That's a fact.

Cleveland has a 43-11 record, best in the NBA by two full games. That's also a fact. And it's a testament to the talent of James, the NBA's most complete player since Michael Jordan and, before him, Oscar Robertson.

That's another fact.

Once a year, in this showcase, we get to see what it would look like for James to play with another great player. He plays with a whole roster of great players, which skews things a little bit. On Sunday he had Dwyane Wade at the point and Joe Johnson on the wing and Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard in the paint. That's absurd, and it's never going to happen in Cleveland or any other NBA city. The salary cap won't allow it. But the salary cap would allow for James to play with another great player, as the salary cap has allowed in the past with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on the Lakers.

True, O'Neal is James' teammate in Cleveland -- but it's not the same O'Neal. The Shaq who played with Kobe was good for 28 points and 13 rebounds per game. This one is averaging 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. This is half-a-Shaq.

LeBron deserves better, but he has always deserved better, sort of like Michael Jordan deserved better than the garbage roster he was thrust onto when the Bulls drafted him in 1984. Eventually Jordan got Scottie Pippen, and you know the rest. LeBron wants more than what he has in Cleveland. He practically said so after the game Sunday night.

"You want to play with guys that are great and want to win and want to compete at a high level every night," he said. "We'll see."

On Sunday, we saw. I asked Wade what it's like to play with LeBron once a year, and Wade started smiling. Maybe he was thinking of that alley-oop he threw to James, a lob that James caught in mid-spin, finishing the play with a reverse dunk. Moments later, James did the throwing and Wade did the dunking. No spin. All power.

"Yeah, you see the connection we both have," he said, nodding. "Especially going to the basket, lobs, finding each other. I get the opportunity to be his teammate for one day, and I'm going to enjoy it. He makes the game easy for all his teammates. You see that in Cleveland."

No question about that. As I've noted, Cleveland has the best record in the NBA. Lots of you will tell me the Cavaliers' record proves that they have more talent than I'm giving them credit for -- that there's no way the worst supporting cast in the NBA could produce the best record in the NBA. If that's your position, there are two problems with that:

One, LeBron is that good. The last player to average 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for an entire season was Jordan in 1989. Before that, it was Oscar Robertson in 1966. James is on the verge of doing it this season, averaging 29.9 ppg, 8.3 assists and 7.1 rebounds.

Two, LeBron's supporting cast is that bad. This weekend in Dallas, there were 28 All-Stars. There were another 18 future stars in the NBA Rookie-Sophomore Challenge. There were six players in the 3-Point Shootout, five in the Slam Dunk Contest and four in the Skills test. That's a total of 61 players. Guess how many of them came from Cleveland? Other than LeBron, I mean. Read More

source:cbssports.com

Record crowd sees East win NBA All-Star game

East edge West in a record breaking crowd.



DALLAS, Texas — A record crowd of 108,713 turned out for the NBA All-Star game at Cowboys Stadium, where Dwyane Wade led the Eastern Conference to a 141-139 victory over the West.

Miami's Wade had 28 points and won Most Valuable Player honors, and Dallas Native Chris Bosh made the winning free throws with five seconds to play.

The Western Conference had a chance to win the annual mid-season exhibition, but Carmelo Anthony misfired on a three-point attempt.

The biggest cheer of the night came when Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and Jerry Jones, owner of the NFL's Cowboys, took the court to announce the record-setting attendance.

"It's meant to be a party," Cuban said. "We say we're going to throw the biggest party like you've never seen before and that's exactly what it turned out to be."

In addition to being a record for a basketball game, it was the largest in the short history of the Cowboys' billion-dollar home, which opened prior to the 2009-2010 NFL season.

Wade, who earned MVP honors when Miami beat Dallas in the 2006 NBA finals, added 11 assists and six rebounds. Cleveland star LeBron James scored 25 points while Bosh had 23 and 10 rebounds.

The undisputed star of the show, however, was the building. The NBA had predicted a crowd of about 90,000, but the hopes of Cuban and Jones to reach 100,000 were more than satisified.

The attendance figure easily broke the previous record for the largest crowd to watch a basketball game of 78,129, set for a university contest between the University of Kentucky and Michigan State University at Detroit's Ford Field on December 13, 2003.

The record was certified by Guinness Book of World Records, and there were already T-shirts marking the feat.

The crowd was larger than any of the NFL games played in the stadium last season.

The Cowboys drew 105,121 for their first regular-season game in the venue - against the New York Giants last September - to set an NFL regular-season attendance record.

"I'm pleased looking at it," Jones said. "The atmosphere, if you had had a highly competitive situation where these teams were playing for the world championship, imagine this 100,000 people being completely nuts."

source: nba.com,google

James sparks Cavs to franchise-tying 13th straight win

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - LeBron James put up 32 points and 13 assists to propel the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 115-106 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday, tying a franchise record with their 13th straight victory.

The league's reigning MVP spearheaded the fourth-quarter surge which decided the game.

The Cavaliers trailed by two with 7:31 left before James scored or assisted on five straight baskets during an 11-0 run that sunk the Magic.

Cleveland (43-11) matched the win streak it set last season while winning a second straight against Orlando (36-18) in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Final.

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Rashard Lewis added 19 for the Magic, who trailed for the majority of the first half before turning the game into a nip-and-tuck affair.

Orlando topped the Cavaliers 4-2 in the best-of-seven playoff series last May but currently trail their NBA-best foe by seven games.

source:reuters.com

Cavaliers vs Magic preview

With the longest winning streak in the NBA this season and the league's best record, the Cleveland Cavaliers look pretty unbeatable at the moment.

Then again, they looked that way to everyone but the Orlando Magic last spring.

Cleveland can tie its franchise record with a 13th straight win Thursday night against the Magic, who visit Quicken Loans Arena for the first time since stunning LeBron James and the Cavaliers in last season's Eastern Conference finals.

James won his first MVP award last season while leading Cleveland to a league-best 66-16 record, but Orlando shocked the Cavaliers in six games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

Little has changed in 2009-10. James (29.8 points per game) leads the league in scoring and has Cleveland (42-11) six games ahead of the Magic (36-17) for the East's best record heading into the teams' second meeting since late May.

James had 36 points in a 102-93 win at Orlando on Nov. 11.

"They're coming into our building, and right now we're the best team in the NBA,'' James said after finishing with 32 points and 11 assists Tuesday as the Cavaliers beat New Jersey 104-97 for their 12th consecutive victory. "It's going to be a fun one.''

Cleveland has won 21 of 22 at home.

James has been busy lately aside from averaging 38.3 points in his last three games. He and Olympic teammate Dwight Howard joined forces for a Super Bowl commercial, and they'll be playing together for the fourth time on the East All-Star squad Sunday in Dallas. continue

NBA Today Feb 21, 2010 Live Stream

NBA TODAY LIVE STREAM FEB 27, 2010 EST
ENJOY THE GAMES.

MAVERICKS vs BOBCATS

7:00PM EST
Dallas Mavericks vs Charlotte Bobcats link1
New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers link1
Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers link1


8:00PM EST
Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls link1
Portland Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies link1
San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Hornets link1


8:30PM EST
Toronto Raptors vs Houston Rockets link1

9:00PM EST
Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns link1

10:00PM EST
Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers link1