Heat-Cavaliers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Feb 16 2012 9:58PM

LeBron James mentioned this week that someday he might want to again play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That likely won't prevent Cavalier fans from continuing to voice their displeasure as he makes his first appearance at Quicken Loans Arena this season.

James is again expected to receive a cold reception as he tries to help the Miami Heat match a season high with their fifth consecutive victory Friday night in Cleveland.

During Thursday's practice in his former home city, James said he would not rule out a return to the Cavaliers, the team he carried to the brink of a title in seven seasons before leaving as a free agent for Miami in 2010.

"It would be fun to play in front of these fans again," James said. "You can't predict the future. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense.

"And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

James won't receive a warm reception Friday when he tries to lead Miami (23-7) to a third consecutive win over Cleveland this season. While both previous meetings came in Miami, this is the Heat's only regular-season appearance in Cleveland.

"It doesn't sting anymore," said James, averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds while going 5-1 against his former team since joining the Heat. "The booing isn't as bad as it was last year so it's not even a big deal."

James scored 38 in Miami's 118-90 win in his initial return to Cleveland on Dec. 2, 2010, but the Cavaliers beat the Heat 102-90 at home March 29 despite 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds from the seven-time All-Star.

The Cavaliers (11-16) could have a hard time repeating that feat against a Miami club which became the first team since the 1979-80 Phoenix Suns to win three straight road games in three days. With Tuesday's 105-90 victory at Indiana, the Heat also became the first squad to win each of those three games by double digits since Milwaukee did it Nov. 20-22, 1970.

"Our guys wanted this challenge and we were able to stay focused," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We threw out anything we could have used as a crutch."

During their current four-game winning streak that's come on the road, the Heat have held opponents to 90.5 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting.

"I think as far as team chemistry, we got better every single night," said James, who had 23 points against the Pacers. "(Tuesday) we rebounded and defended. When we do that, we're very, very tough to beat."

Though he scored 16 at Indiana, Dwayne Wade has averaged 24.0 points on 54.5 percent shooting in the last 10 games. That included a 26-point effort during a 107-91 win over Cleveland on Feb. 7.

Cavaliers star rookie Kyrie Irving had 16 points, six assists and six rebounds in that contest, but he banged his head into Wade's knee following a collision. The 2011 overall top pick missed the next three games with a concussion before scoring 22 points in Wednesday's 98-87 home win over the Pacers.

"I'm 100 percent," said Irving, averaging a team-leading 18.2 points with 5.1 assists. "Just because I had a concussion, it doesn't mean my game is going to change in any way. I'll play with the same aggressiveness."

Cleveland, 6-7 at home, has not won two straight games since Jan. 1-3.

James, Heat blast Cavaliers 111-87

By TOM WITHERS
Posted Feb 18 2012 1:12AM

CLEVELAND (AP) His latest homecoming over and the hatred subsided, LeBron James had more to do.

He greeted a fans standing behind the bench and personally delivered his headband to a young admirer before heading to the locker room. He left the floor he once owned, skipping down a carpeted runway and slapping outstretched hands with every step.

It was time to leave for his new home.

It was time to go back to Miami and run down an NBA title.

James scored 28 points in his third game back in Cleveland as a visitor, Dwyane Wade added 22 and the Heat concluded a six-game road trip with their fifth straight win, 111-87 over the Cavaliers, who seemed intimidated by Miami's mere presence.

Booed loudly every time he touched the ball by fans who haven't forgiven him for leaving two years ago, James scored 16 in the third quarter when the Heat opened a 34-point lead. He added four dunks, three 3-pointers, five rebounds, five assists and rested the entire fourth quarter.

Miami has won eight of nine, and went 5-1 on its trip, winning by an average of 18.8 points.

"The way we won these last five games was very impressive," James said. "We went on the road and won by double digits in each of those games and in some hostile environments. It was definitely a big road trip for us, six games in 10 days. We took care of business."

The Heat showed no mercy on the Cavs, who got 17 points from rookie Kyrie Irving and 15 from Ramon Sessions.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott was disturbed by a loss in which his team fell behind by 23 in the first quarter and never recovered.

"We looked like we were frightened," Scott said. "I said at halftime, `It boggles my mind that you are scared of another man."'

That would be James, who toyed with the Cavs and silenced a sell-out crowd that came to vent again at a player who thrilled them for seven seasons.

Other than pregame introductions, James was the one who made more noise.

"He's been playing at an MVP level all season," Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. "He's arguably playing the best ball of his career. He's playing as well as anyone in the league."

The Heat ended their trip with a devastating performance at both ends over the Cavs, who had played them tough in two previous losses this season.

Miami led 11-0, 21-2, 29-8 and 35-14 in the first quarter.

The Cavaliers never had a chance.

On the trip, the Heat also won three games in three nights, becoming the first team since the 1979-80 Phoenix Suns to accomplish that three-peat. And with Tuesday's 15-point win at Indiana, the Heat also became the first team since Milwaukee in 1970 to win three consecutive road games by 10 points or more.

The Bucks won the NBA title that year. The Heat could be on their way to one of their own.

James had spent the past two days staying at his mansion in nearby Bath, Ohio, a perk he enjoyed and a stay that made him a little nostalgic.

On Thursday, James expressed the possibility of returning to the Cavs before his career is over. That's years down the road. His immediate plans are to win championships with the Heat.

With Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert sitting courtside, James and the Heat wasted no time in opening their huge lead.

Miami scored the game's first 11 points and pushed its lead to 25-5 when James grabbed a lob and delivered a vicious one-handed slam, an early punctuation mark. James and Mario Chalmers hit consecutive 3-pointers later in the quarter as the Heat opened a 21-point lead after one.

This wasn't what Scott had in mind. One of his assistants had written on the dry-erase board in Cleveland's locker room the message: "Hit First."

The Heat landed the initial shot and kept `em coming.

They pushed their lead to 27 on a 3-pointer by Wade and Miami went 8 of 12 from long range in opening a 63-38 lead.

In the third, James went on a personal 7-0 run he started with a pair of free throws. He followed that with a thunderous dunk and capped it with a 3-pointer. After the ball swished through the net, James headed down court nodding to fans as if to say, "Remember me?"

"We took the crowd right out of it," James said. "That was big. It was a good way to start the game."

This was James' third visit to Cleveland with the Heat, and as usual, it turned in to more than just a game.

James touched some nerves in Northeast Ohio and South Florida on Thursday when he said he could envision a return to the Cavs at some point.

"I think it would be great," he said. "It would be fun to play in front of these fans again. ... And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

Those remarks didn't sit well with some Miami fans, but James didn't back off his comments Friday. However, he did clarify that he is committed to the Heat.

"I love the fans of Miami. I'm here," said James, who can opt out of his contract after the 2014 season. "The question was asked of me, could I see myself playing back here. I said yeah, in the sense of I don't know what my future holds and I don't want to take that out.

"I've got everything thing invested with this team. I'm looking forward to the years to come."

But according to a report from Yahoo! Sports, James has been using messengers to relay to Gilbert that he wants to return to Cleveland in three years.

James was asked to comment on the report.

"Not true, not true at all," he said.

That's all conjecture.

This is fact: He and Heat look unstoppable.

NOTES: James improve to 6-1 against the Cavs, averaging 25.7 points. ... Cavs G Daniel Gibson sat out with a sprained left ankle but could be back Sunday against Sacramento. ... Spoelstra had high praise for Cleveland's young squad. "The future looks very bright for their organization and the future could be now," said Spoelstra. "They have a lot of young talent." ... Cavs C Semih Erden left with a bruised left wrist in the third quarter and didn't return.

Notebook: Heat 111, Cavs 87

Posted Friday February 17, 2012 11:45PM

By Brian Dulik, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Two-time NBA MVP LeBron James scored a game-high 28 points in 30 minutes, including three alley-oop dunks, in leading the Miami Heat to a 111-87 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Akron native James also had five rebounds and five assists in his only trip to Quicken Loans Arena this season. Shooting guard Dwyane Wade added 22 points for Miami, which also got 16 points and a game-best 12 rebounds from power forward Chris Bosh. Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving had 17 points to lead Cleveland, which trailed by 34 points late in the third quarter.

QUOTABLE: "It's always special coming back here. I know these fans, they know me. They know how competitive I am. I just try and lead my team to victory every night. It's definitely special every time I come back here."
-- Heat small forward LeBron James

THE STAT: The Heat shot a blistering 66.7 percent on 3-pointers, making 14-for-21 attempts. Point guard Mario Chalmers led the way with four treys in six attempts, while James went 3-for-5 and shooting guard James Jones buried two in his four minutes on the court. Miami was 8-for-12 beyond the arc over the first two quarters and 6-for-9 from long distance after intermission. "I've always been very confident, but I don't think I've ever shot as consistently as I am now," said James, who is shooting a career-high .390 on 3-pointers this season.

TURNING POINT: Miami scored the first 11 points of the contest en route to taking a 21-2 lead in the first quarter. Bosh and Chalmers scored six points apiece during the game-opening assault, while Wade had five and James added four. "Defensively, we had no communication at the start," Cavaliers power forward Antawn Jamison said. "We didn't get back and they took advantage of that." The Heat's high-water mark in the opening period came at 35-12 before Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions ended the frame with a layup to cut their deficit to 21 points.

QUOTABLE II: "We just looked like we were scared to death, plain and simple. I thought [Miami] came out with great energy and great effort. We didn't match it whatsoever. It just seemed like the lights were just too bright for a lot of our guys. Simple as that."
-- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

HOT: James, Wade and Bosh combined for 66 points and 23 rebounds in 88 minutes. Miami's "Big Three" made 26-of-50 field goal attempts, 4-of-6 3-pointers, and 10-of-12 free throws. ... The Heat went 5-1 on its season-long six-game road trip. "We wanted to go 6-0, but we had a downer at the start of it," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said, referring to a 102-89 loss in Orlando on Feb. 8. "This was a good end to our trip, though, and we did improve -- and it's tangible in that locker room." ... The Heat swept its three-game season series from the Cavaliers, improving to 6-1 against Cleveland since James switched sides in the rivalry in July 2010.

NOT: The Cavaliers have lost four games by 20-plus points this season, two at home and two on the road. "We just didn't give any resistance tonight," Irving said. "We started the game really slow, and it was hard to get back. They have a great team." ... Alonzo Gee started at shooting guard for Cleveland, but missed his first seven shots. ... Cavaliers swingman Christian Eyenga went 0-for-4 from the floor, making him 3-for-19 on the campaign (15.8 percent). ... Heat point guard Norris Cole, who played collegiately at Cleveland State, jacked up 10 shots in 23 minutes. Cole made three of them and scored 10 points, but also had four fouls and two turnovers.

QUOTABLE III: "This is a great environment here, one of my favorite arenas in the NBA. It's built the right way -- built straight up -- so the fans are right on top of you. They make it hard for visiting teams, which is what you'd like to have everywhere to challenge you."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

GOOD MOVE: After the game, James shot down a published report that his representatives have reached out to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, purportedly to open the door for a return to the franchise. "It's not true," he said. "It's not true at all." James did, however, say he was glad that the Heat decided to travel to Cleveland after its Tuesday game in Indiana. Miami's players and coaches stayed in town for three full nights and practiced at Quicken Loans Arena. "I was able to go home for the last few days and spend some time in Akron," James said. "It was a great week."

BAD MOVE: The Cavaliers, who are already without three key players, lost center Semih Erden to a left wrist contusion in the third quarter. Erden was available to return, but did not because the contest was well out of reach. Cleveland's regular starting center, Anderson Varejao, is out for 4-6 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist. Cavaliers shooting guards Daniel Gibson (left ankle sprain) and Anthony Parker (lower back strain) could return before the NBA All-Star break, but no target date has been set for either veteran.

NOTABLE: The Heat's all-time record moved above .500 for the first time ever at 943-942. ... Miami has shot 50 percent or better from the field in nine straight games. ... Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions had 15 points and a team-high five assists off the bench, while backup power forward Tristan Thompson had 12 points and a team-high six rebounds. ... Irving made a career-best seven free throws in seven tries, but was 5-for-15 on field goal attempts. ... Cleveland is 2-3 on its ongoing franchise-record nine-game homestand. ... The game drew the Cavaliers' second home sellout of the season.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Sunday vs. Orlando, Tuesday vs. Sacramento, Thursday vs. New York. For the Cavaliers, Sunday vs. Sacramento, Tuesday vs. Detroit, Wednesday vs. New Orleans.

• Heat: Harris, Pittman
• Cavaliers: Gibson, Parker, Varejao

• Heat: Wade
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #11 Derrick Collins, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 20562
• Duration: 2:10