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 Delonte West scored 18 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 and 14 rebounds and James finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who didn't play well again but had enough to hold off the pathetic Heat.
Cleveland only led by two after three quarters and didn't pull comfortably ahead until there was less than five minutes to go. The Cavs swept the season series from Miami for the first time since 1989-90.
Cleveland, which is only 13-12 since a major trade in February, needs to win one of its final two games
-- at Philadelphia on Monday or home against Detroit on Wednesday -- to secure the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs against Washington. The Wizards have clinched at least the No. 5 seed.
Ricky Davis scored 17 points and Daequan Cook and Earl Barron had 13 apiece for Miami (14-66), whose dismal season is nearly over.
Down 59-57 after three, the Cavs outscored the Heat 12-2 -- with James was on the bench
-- in the first 4:45 of the fourth to open a 69-61 lead.
Gibson, who has struggled to find his shot since returning from an ankle injury, triggered the run with a 3 that he posed to admire long after it passed through the net. On Cleveland's next trip, he was fouled by Jayson Williams while attempting a 3 and made all three free throws to put the Cavs ahead 65-60.
Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao scored to cap the run, and by the time James checked in with 5:18 remaining, Cleveland had an eight-point lead.
The Cavaliers have been out of step for weeks, and the losses, injuries and inconsistency has led to some frustration.
After Varejao fumbled away an inside pass in the third quarter from James, Cleveland's All-Star forward yelled at his frizzy-haired teammate, who didn't take the criticism well. As James took a seat on the bench for a timeout, Varejao walked over and the two exchanged words.
But later in the fourth, Varejao and James seemed to have made up.
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The Cavaliers played most of the second half without Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace, two of the players acquired in an 11-player deal at the trading deadline. Szczerbiak went 0-for-3 in 10 minutes and Wallace had two points in 20.
After a deplorable loss at Chicago on Friday, when the Cavaliers were outhustled and embarrassed, coach Mike Brown was counting on more focus and defensive intensity from his squad. It came in spurts during the first half as Cleveland built a seven-point lead before allowing the Heat to get within 40-38 at halftime.
Notes: Cleveland will face Washington in the first round for the third straight year, whether they finish fourth or fifth. The teams have been on a collision course for weeks, and their rivalry has been fueled by some recent trash talk. In a blog last week, Gilbert Arenas said, "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round." Earlier, Wizards F DeShawn Stevenson called James "overrated." James was asked if the comment added to the rivalry. "Absolutely," he said. "That's the last thing I'm going to say about that." ... Patriots WR Randy Moss sat behind Cleveland's bench. ... Heat coach Pat Riley hasn't had much to praise this Miami, but he's proud of F Ricky Davis, on target to play in all 82 games. "I give him a lot of kudos," Riley said. "He's been playing hurt. There's a lot of players today who don't play hurt."
[Associated Press; By TOM WITHERS]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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