LeBron scores 42 in Cavs' 107-100 win over Heat

[March 03, 2009]  MIAMI (AP) -- This time, the Miami Heat were witnesses, not winners, because of a fourth-quarter comeback. LeBron James scored 42 points, Mo Williams got 17 of his 30 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final minutes to beat the Heat 107-100 on Monday night.

Dwyane Wade had 41 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Miami, strongly following up his 46-point effort two nights earlier against the New York Knicks, when the Heat rallied from 15 points down in the last 9 minutes.

The Cavs are now 47-12 -- 35 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history.

Williams got the comeback going with two huge 3-pointers to spark a 12-0 run that erased what seemed like a comfortable lead midway through the final period. And James sealed it with 42.7 seconds left, blowing past Jamario Moon for a fierce right-handed slam to put the Cavs up 100-95.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which moved a full game ahead of idle Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 16 points, Mario Chalmers added 15 and Moon had 11 for Miami, which shot 2-for-17 with four turnovers in the final 5 1/2 minutes to waste what was a 91-80 lead. Not to mention wasting the second straight 40-plus scoring effort by Wade, who pulled off that feat for the second time in his career.

Cleveland was 11-for-17 from 3-point range -- James was 6-for-7 -- while Miami was a mere 5-for-18.

Cleveland won in Atlanta on Sunday night, then boarded what was supposed to be a quick 90-minute flight to Miami. By the time the Cavaliers got to South Florida, the sun was coming up and it was time for breakfast.

Terrible weather kept the Cavaliers' plane on an Atlanta runway for 3 1/2 hours, and the team didn't get to its hotel until 7 a.m.

"We slept all day," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.

Sure enough, the Cavaliers didn't look the least bit tired.

By the time the game was 10 minutes old, Cleveland had a 10-point lead. Delonte West created a five-point early swing by himself, intercepting a pass from Moon to deny Wade an easy transition dunk and then finding James open for a 3-pointer -- part of a 14-point first quarter by the Cavs star.

Cleveland led 58-55 at the half after another 3-pointer by James a few seconds before the horn. Then Wade really got going.

He scored 15 points in the third quarter, three less than the Cavaliers managed, and Miami held Cleveland to 33 percent shooting in the period to build a cushion. Miami outscored the Cavs 17-5 over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the quarter, Wade blocked a dunk try by J.J. Hickson with 18.8 seconds left, and the Heat took an 82-76 edge into the fourth period.

James and Wade seemed like they were having a personal slam-dunk contest in the opening minutes of the final period.

James had a steal and two-handed windmill offering to get Cleveland within seven; Wade came back shortly thereafter with a steal and double-clutch reverse for an 91-80 Miami edge.

Over?

Not even close.

Cleveland ran off 12 straight points -- the first eight coming in a span of 1:23, with Williams getting a pair of 3-pointers to quickly snap the Cavs right back into the game. And his leaning layup with 4:07 left not only gave Cleveland the lead, it had a crowd that spent most of the night chanting "M-V-P" at Wade actually booing for the first time.

They didn't have much to cheer the rest of the way, either.

Notes: Wade and James -- close friends -- inadvertently hugged each other to end the third quarter. Moon fired a pass down the left sideline, the two MVP candidates got entangled, then wrapped arms around each other to keep themselves from falling into the front row of seats. ... Brown was chosen the Eastern Conference's coach of the month, crediting his team. "I haven't played a second all season," he said. ... James was fouled twice on 3-pointers in the first half, making all six free throws. ... Cavs F Sasha Pavlovic checked in with 36.2 seconds left in the third period; he hadn't played since Feb. 8 because of a high ankle sprain. ... The teams play again Saturday in Cleveland.

[Associated Press; By TIM REYNOLDS]

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