LeBron James had a solid week of rest, and was ready to test his ankle vs. Philadelphia and Andre Igoudala last night.  Leon Powe got his first start as a Cavalier with the absence of Antawn Jamison. The Cavs starting lineup was pretty small. Mo, A-P, Bron, Powe and Hickson.  Even though LeBron only finshed with 23 points, he added 10 assists and that was all the Cavs needed to win a close game that came down to the 4th quarter.


LeBron started off with two assists, one to JJ Hickson for a smooth jumper and one to Mo Williams for a set 3 pointer. He then came down the court, walked in for a layup, and then stepped into a 3 pointer. 2 minutes into the game, LeBron already had 4 points and 2 assists. JJ Hickson had an unreal baseline drive and dunk on Igoudala, and the Cavs were rolling. But Philadelphia held their own. They took advantage of Shaquille’s absence, and kept driving and scoring baskets in the paint. Initially, Dalembert, Brand, and Igoudala were getting close baskets. Meanwhile, LeBron was putting on a shooting clinic. Hit 3 out of his first 4, and kept the Cavs in the game.

With just over a minute to go in the 1st quarter, LeBron got real nasty, real quick. Driving baseline, he jumped roughly 17 feet in the air, and extended a reverse pump jam. The crowd was buzzing and everyone in the arena knew; No one else in the world dunks like LeBron.

Philadelphia did hit 5/7 three’s in the quarter, and Andre Igoudala had his own set of impressive sky-high dunks. The Cavs led 36-32 and as many predicted, this game resembled a track meet. Both teams shot over 60%, and there wasn’t much defense to speak of.

Cavs started the 2nd quarter off cold, missing their first 4 attempts. Just as usual, no LeBron pretty much means no offense. This team needs LeBron both as a scorer and a distributor. Without him in the game, offensive stagnation runs rampant.

And then there was a Delonte West sighting. As Austin Carr put it, “Delonte West drove down Euclid Avenue and throws the hammer down.” Samuel Dalembert attempted to block this dunk, but halfway up realized he was about to be on a poster. Delonte has been known to throw down some serious dunk-faces from time to time. At the end of the half, LeBron had 13 and 8 assists.

Mo Williams started off the 2nd half with an aggressive mindset. The Cavs started to clamp down defensively, and LeBron drilled a 3 with 9 minutes left to bump the lead to 11 at 68-57. Mo-mo finishes the quarter with 10 points, and the Cavs were in a pretty good game. The Cavs production fell off a little bit, and in the 4th quarter we found ourselves down 85-80. This team never stops coming though. After a quick Jamario dunk, Mo Williams spotted a 3, and then Jamario hit a 3 right after. Problem solved, we’re up 88-85. The next 2 points were priceless, as LeBron caught an alley-oop that was thrown way too high, went from two hands to one and finished with a flush.. Are you kidding me? And where did this surge from Jamario come from?

Sometimes the Cavs just play with teams like Philadelphia, and then wait til the last few minutes to seal the deal. With 4 minutes to go, Mo hits another 3. Don’t forget about LeBron’s sensational block on Elton Brand. This game actually did up coming down to the wire, as Jamario Moon missed a 3 with 24 seconds left that would have put us up 6.

Instead, Philly grabbed the rebound and called a timeout.  Down 95-98, they needed a 3. Instead, they turned the ball over in a laughable possession. Delonte comes down, drills some free throws, and you can pretty much put this one in the book. Cleveland shows Philadelphia why they’re not in contention for the playoffs. First time the Cavs have swept the 76ers during the regular season in 13 years. LeBron looked good, and so did the Cavaliers. We pretty much follow the King’s lead. Makes sense if you think about it. LeBron James is Underrated