Cavaliers Play Big in Fourth, Win 93-86

The key to the Cleveland Cavaliers' 93-86 victory over the Miami Heat tonight was their fourth quarter resurgence.

After trailing 67-58 going into the fourth, the Cavs picked up their level of play and outscored Miami 35-19 the rest of the way to wrap up their 26th victory of the season. They improved their record to 26-4, which is just a half game behind Boston's league best of 27-4.

Cleveland's poor shooting allowed Miami to keep the game close. They shot an uncharacteristic 41 percent for the game compared to their 48 percent average on the season. The game was tied at 22 after the first quarter, and the Cavs only led 44-42 at the half.

Dwyane Wade, the leagues leading scorer at 28.9 point per game, sparked a huge run for Miami in the third. After shooting just 3-11 and held to nine points in the first half, Wade erupted for 14 points in the third on 6-7 shooting. Miami outscored Cleveland 25-14 in the quarter and held a nine-point lead going into the fourth.

With the Cavs on the verge of losing their first home game, they knew they would need a big fourth quarter to keep their streak alive.

"You can tell the fans are into it," said James. "They don't want us to lose at home all season. It's the third quarter and they're getting a little antsy, we can hear it."

Apparently, LeBron was not ready to let Cleveland's home win streak get snapped. James had another MVP-type fourth quarter, both offensively and defensively. He took on the defensive assignment of slowing down Wade, who was held to just six points in the quarter.

He also scored 11 points on the offensive end, including a huge dunk in the open floor after Delonte West dove for a loose ball at half court and dished it to him.

With elbows flying and bodies flopping everywhere, the Cavs' hustle and intensity won this game. Delonte West must have had his dose of "5-hour energy" before the game because he seemed to be on top of every loose ball there was. He even had a tie-up with the 6’4” Wade and won the jump ball from him.

In the midst of one loose ball, Udonis Haslem caught an elbow from James right above his eye, which turned into a bloody mess. He had to leave the game to get stitched up, and Delonte West had to replace his jersey for having blood on it.

Anderson Varejao, the "Wild Thing" himself, continued to be active on the glass tonight. The intensity he brought was a huge part of Cleveland's 35-point rampage in the fourth. He posted a double-double off the bench scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

LeBron led the way for the Cavs with 33 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Twenty of his points came in the first half.

Mo Williams dropped 20 points before fouling out towards the end of the game. Cleveland had five players post double figures in scoring.

Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 29 points and eight assists.

These two teams will meet again on in Miami on Tuesday, LeBron's 24th birthday.

We should be in for another spectacular night.