Cavaliers win 13th straight, 79-73 over Pistons

[April 01, 2009]  CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James refuses to let the Cavaliers lose.

Cleveland's superstar made two crucial three-point plays down the stretch and finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavs won their 13th straight game, 79-73 on Tuesday night over the Detroit Pistons, who gave the NBA's best home team all it could handle.

The Cavs trailed 69-67 midway through the fourth when James took over, scoring eight points and handing out an assist in a 10-0 run.

With the win, Cleveland improved to 36-1 at home and became just the sixth team in NBA history to win 16 games in one month.

Richard Hamilton scored 13 and Allen Iverson 11 for the Pistons, who were held to 35 percent shooting.

Delonte West scored 12, Anderson Varejao added 11 and several hustle plays, and the Cavaliers held off the Pistons in one of those old-school Eastern Conference street fights.

There were several chippy moments between two teams who have scrapped in the playoffs before and may again soon.

Iverson's layup put Detroit up 69-67 with 5:24 left when James made another of those are-you-kidding-me? plays that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good.

First, he sneaked behind unsuspecting Pistons guard Will Bynum and poked the ball away. He broke down court for a pass, spun in the foul lane and somehow flipped the ball in as he was being fouled by Bynum and stumbling. James completed the three-point play to make it 70-69.

The Cavs, who held the Pistons to 29 points after halftime, got a stop and James fed Varejao to make it 72-69. Cleveland's defense forced another turnover, and James powered to the basket, got fouled and completed another and-1 opportunity to give the Cavs a 75-69 cushion.

James then deflected a pass that bounced off Tayshaun Prince and out of bounds. Cleveland misfire on its next trip, but Varejao made a steal and West picked up the loose ball and fired it to James, who drove the lane for a layup to cap the 10-0 run that put away the Pistons.

For the first time in weeks, the Pistons, who long ruled the Central Division but came in as the No. 7 seed in the East, were finally whole.

With forward Rasheed Wallace back after missing 11 games with an injured left calf, Detroit had its first full roster since Feb. 25. Wallace had nine points, nine rebounds, and of course, a technical.

On their previous visit to Cleveland, the Pistons were rocked 99-78 in a game that wasn't that close.

In case they didn't recall the drubbing, "Do you remember 67-34 half?" was written on the dry-erase board for the Pistons to see as they entered the locker room. That was the score at halftime on Feb. 22, when Detroit coach Michael Curry benched his starters early in the second half.

Detroit started well, holding the Cavaliers to just 12 points in the first quarter and opening a 39-30 lead midway through the second quarter.

But James brought Cleveland back. The Cavs pulled within 44-41 on a dunk by Varejao, and in the closing seconds before halftime, James muscled his way inside for a three-point play with 1.3 seconds left to tie it at 44. James punctuated his basket by flexing his biceps, a gesture that didn't sit well with Wallace.

Notes: The Cavs won three of four over the Pistons to win the season series for the first time since 1997-98. ... Cavs C Ilgauskas played in his 700th career game. Only Danny Ferry (723) and Bingo Smith (720) have played in more games for Cleveland. Ilgauskas was asked if he was worried Ferry, Cleveland's GM, will trade him before he can break the franchise record. "I'll retire first," he laughed. ... The Cavs are 17-1 since F/C Ben Wallace went down with a broken leg. ... The Pistons have beaten all six division leaders -- Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, San Antonio, Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers -- this season.

[Associated Press; By TOM WITHERS]

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