By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI — Ninety minutes before tipoff, LeBron James stood at
his locker with a pair of scissors, trimming loose threads from
the front of his jersey.
He wanted to look good in his showdown with Dwyane Wade, and he
did, scoring 34 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the
Miami Heat 111-104 on Thursday night.
Wade scored 36 points but couldn’t rally the Heat from an
11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Instead, James had
Cleveland’s final eight points over the last 2:42.
“He closed the game with a killer instinct in the right way on
both ends of the floor,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. “Man,
for me that was so fun to watch. It’s indescribable almost. He
willed the end of the game to go the way it did. It was flat-out
beautiful, like Picasso.”
James finished with seven assists and went 16 for 18 from the
free-throw line, while Wade was just as good for the Heat. His
baskets included a dunk that James said might make the NBA’s
all-time top-10 list.
“I like playing against LeBron more than anybody else in the
league,” Wade said. “He brings out the best in me, and I bring
out the best in him.”
The All-Star duel took place amid speculation James and Wade
might become teammates next season.
“We knew because of D-Wade it was going to be a high-energy
game,” said the Cavs’ Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 14 points in
a return to his former home court. “It’s very, very exciting
watching him and LeBron going back and forth.”
Mo Williams made five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the
Cavs. J.J. Hickson, making his third consecutive start, had a
career-high 18 points.
The Cavs’ point total was a season high, and it came against a
team ranked third in the NBA in scoring defense.
“Giving up 111 points, that’s not our style and that’s not our
identity,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We won’t win many
games like that.”
Michael Beasley scored a season-high 24 points for the Heat, who
lost for only the second time. Cleveland won in Florida for the
second time in as many nights after beating Orlando on
Wednesday.
James and Wade shared a long embrace just before tipoff, 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.
“It’s like being out back with your big brother or little
brother,” James said. “You don’t want him to get the upper edge.
You don’t want them bragging and talking about it all week. Me
and D-Wade are always competing. We’re friends and everything,
but when we’re out on the court we’re fierce rivals.”
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 hit five
free throws to make it 111-102 with 57 seconds to go as the
arena quickly emptied.
“It starts with me – closing the games out,” James said. “If I’m
being lax, if I’m not being aggressive and putting pressure on
the defense, the rest of the team is not going to do the same. I
just tried to put as much pressure as we could offensively,
tried to get as many stops as possible, and come out with a win.
We had played so well for most of the game, you don’t want to
let a game like this get away.”
Wade made the first highlight-footage contribution with a
driving dunk over 6-foot-11 Anderson Varejao.
“It was great, probably top 10 all-time,” James said. “That was
an unbelievable play by a great player.”
Wade and Varejao 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. The crowd also included Dara Torres. … Wade scored
at least 20 points for the 21st consecutive time, tying his
franchise record.
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