LeBron James fills void, leads Heat to 9th straight win

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Looking ahead to the prospect of facing the Trail Blazers without Chris Bosh, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra told LeBron James he was going to need a "Magic Johnson-type" night from him.

James delivered.

The Miami star scored 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and added six assists and five steals, to lead Heat to a 107-93 victory in Portland on Thursday night.

It was the ninth straight win for the Heat, who at 28-7 are off to their best 35-game start in franchise history.

Dwyane Wade added 33 points and 10 assists for the Heat in their first game since the All-Star break. Miami hadn't played since a 102-88 victory at home over the New York Knicks last Thursday.

The Heat were without Bosh because of a death in his family. The All-Star was also expected to miss Friday night's game at Utah, but it is not yet known whether he will play Sunday when Miami visits the Los Angeles Lakers.

Spoelstra said he approached James at shootaround, saying he needed a little bit of everything from his star.

"Really, it was as simple as this: 'We need a Magic Johnson-type, not necessarily performance, but awareness," Spoelstra said. "Man, he really took the challenge. It's his ability to do all these different things in the course of one game."

James said he, in turn, told his teammates that he was going to guard everyone.

"We had a big piece of our team out, so I definitely had to step up my game to bring home this win," he said.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points for the Blazers, who were coming off a 104-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Portland (18-18) has lost eight of its past 12 games.

It was never much of a contest, and the Blazers trailed by as many as 25.

Aldridge, coming off his first All-Star appearance, was clearly frustrated.

"I'm at the point where we can't keep talking about what we need to do," he said. "We have to go out and do it."

Before the game, the Blazers activated center Joel Przybilla, who was signed by the team earlier this week.

Przybilla, who spent more than six seasons in Portland before he was traded to Charlotte last season, has not played since last March. An 11-year NBA veteran, the 7-foot-1 center finished with four points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in 19 minutes.

A fan favorite, he was treated to a standing ovation by the Rose Garden crowd.

"Miami is on a mission. They are focused on winning a championship," Przybilla said afterward. "And we want to get where they are, we want to get to the level they're at."

The Blazers jumped out to an early 14-6 lead, but the Heat came back to tie it on Wade's lob pass to James for the dunk. James and Wade combined for all of Miami's points to that point.

The Heat extended the lead to 30-21 on Mario Chalmers' jumper. They kept the Blazers at bay the rest of the half, going up 45-34 on Udonis Haslem's 15-foot jumper before taking a 60-42 lead into the break. James and Wade accounted for 41 of the team's points.

The second half was more of the same. James went to the bench in the fourth quarter with the Heat still holding a sizable lead. But the Blazers chipped away a bit, coming to within 91-78 on Wesley Matthews' reverse layup.

James' break was brief and the Blazers got as close as 95-85 on Nicolas Batum's 3-pointer with 4:35 left. James answered on the other end with a 3-pointer of his own.

James has scored 30 or more points in 15 games this season. Wade has scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games.

Last season, James scored 44 points against the Blazers, a record high for an opponent at the Rose Garden, in a 107-100 overtime victory for the Heat. The road team has won the past five games in the series.

Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he was proud that his team didn't "fold up the tent" when it was clear they weren't going to win.

"I don't think our guys did that tonight. They kept scrapping," he said. "We had a slow second quarter. That was the big quarter for us. But for the most part, I thought we kept competing."

Game notes

Spoelstra was selected as the NBA's Eastern Conference coach of the month on Thursday after leading Miami to a league-best 11-2 record in February. It's the third time he has earned the honor. ... Former Blazer Scottie Pippen was at the game. ... Batum cut his lip in the second half but returned. ... The game was the only meeting between the Heat and the Blazers this season. ... Portland placed C-F Kurt Thomas on the inactive list because of a concussion he sustained the night before in Portland's loss at Denver. ... It was Miami's fifth straight win on the road.

Return of the King

Successful return to Cleveland for LeBron

CLEVELAND - LeBron James does not come a la carte; when you get him you get the entire package. The Cleveland Cavaliers learned this quite well. The Miami Heat are figuring it out. 

James had yet another fantastic all-around game Friday night, scoring 28 points with five rebounds and five assists in just 30 minutes. The Heat smacked the Cavs 111-87 for their fifth consecutive road blowout. 

There have been hundreds of games just like this in James’ career. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said James is playing at an MVP level, as many of James’ coaches, and numerous opposing coaches, have said after such performances during his career. 

Meanwhile, outside the lines, James had multiple fan bases cheering and cursing him at the same time, front office executives and team owners were wondering just what the heck he was thinking, and he was dominating the headlines. 

This all included, at no extra charge, in the aforementioned James superstar bundle. None of it original or surprising. Let the record show that the Cavs were quite ready to sign up for five more years of it back in 2010. The Heat, and several others, knew that it came along with the 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists he averages, plus sellout crowds every night. Or at least they should’ve known. 

If the Heat weren’t upset with James’ comments this week about playing again someday in Cleveland, which James simply said were “truthful,” they should have been. Plenty of their fans certainly were, to the point that James gave a series of homages to them Friday to try and soothe things over -- the last being his postgame interview with Heat television in which he listed a series of South Florida communities he was looking forward to getting back to after three days in Cleveland. 

It was a little early on the standard schedule for James to start publicly flirting with free agency, two and a half years before he can become a free agent. But the Heat can’t seriously claim this was unexpected. Last time around he started about 20 months early, tossing some red meat to fans in New York during a now-infamous news conference at Madison Square Garden in 2008. 

Some batting of the eyes convinced the Knicks to tear their roster to shreds at the prospect. Just about the time, not ironically, Pat Riley started plotting what eventually became what’s been called the greatest free agent maneuver in league history. 

It was a coup for sure, a two-time MVP in the prime signing the longest contract of his career. It came with strings, though, and James has only just started tugging on them. 

James’ talk about playing for the Cavs again and his hope that the fans would re-embrace him did not come with the timeline. Though plenty seemed to jump to the assumption he was talking about 2014, James did not say or even imply that. 

It would be a mistake to believe that James already has a plan in place to bolt to another city, even his hometown, and complete an unforeseen if not poetic career arc. But it would also be a mistake to consider that this isn’t just the first of many times that James will hint, insinuate or flirt with the future as the Heat find themselves frustrated. Just like his tremendous scoring, defending and passing ability, this has been proven to be as a part of James’ personality. 

James expanded on his answers about Cleveland over two days while the Heat were in the midst of playing their best string of regular season games since he signed up. He’s playing some of the best and most efficient ball of his career, Dwyane Wade is on an expanding hot streak as he’s shooting 56 percent over the last 10 games, Mario Chalmers is having the best season of his career, Shane Battier is out of his shooting slump and now sizzling, and Mike Miller has played 18 straight games without an injury. The Heat finished a road trip 5-1 with five straight wins by 15 or more points. 

And James was talking about playing for the Cavs again someday. 

Down the hall, James’ former team was hardly thrilled with his latest round of conjecture. James’ hinting about returning to Cleveland to play certainly lit up the talk show phone lines and dominated local newscasts for the last few days. 

It was delicious fodder -- James always is because his ties to the area, his great but championship-less years with the team and the terms of his departure. For many Cavs fans the statements created a visceral reaction, churning up emotions that had recently finally started to ebb 20 months after his departure. 

For the Cavs themselves, this was not good for business. Just as they couldn’t predict what would happen in 2010 when the rumblings started in 2008, they’ve learned it’s hard to rely on James’ words when he’s talking fast and loose about his future. They are starting something new with a new player they hope will replace James as their cornerstone in point guard Kyrie Irving. 

The franchise already spent two years doing everything in its power to get James to sign with it, spending wildly and making poor short-term trades and hoping all of it would work out. The Cavs don’t need to be reminded it was a failed enterprise. They also aren’t planning on spending the next two years or three or four following that dream again. 

Fully in the middle of getting on with their lives, James’ words were absolutely no help. They can’t and won’t say so to microphones but they feel much the same way as James does about the future and, in fact, have for some time. They’d never rule out a possible James return no matter what’s been said or done. It just won’t be dictating their lives. 

Are these moments where James can destabilize hundred million dollar operations and send tens of thousands of fans into various fits with a few sentences worth it? 

Friday the Heat looked amazing, reaffirming their position as title favorite as they improved to 82-30 since they signed James. The Cavs, looking young and still in the beginning stages of their post-James rebuild, are 30-80 without him. 

The answer is self-evident.

LeBron James sparks Heat's rout in return to Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- His latest homecoming over and the hatred subsided, LeBron James had more to do.

He greeted a fan standing behind the bench and personally delivered his headband to a young admirer before heading to the locker room. He left the floor he once owned, skipping down a carpeted runway and slapping outstretched hands with every step.

It was time to leave for his new home.

It was time to go back to Miami and run down an NBA title.

James scored 28 points in his third game back in Cleveland as a visitor, Dwyane Wade added 22 and the Heat concluded a six-game road trip with their fifth straight win, 111-87 over the Cavaliers, who seemed intimidated by Miami's mere presence.

Booed loudly every time he touched the ball by fans who haven't forgiven him for leaving two years ago, James scored 16 in the third quarter when the Heat opened a 34-point lead. He added four dunks, three 3-pointers, five rebounds and five assists, and rested the entire fourth quarter.

Miami has won eight of nine, and went 5-1 on its trip, winning by an average of 18.8 points.

"The way we won these last five games was very impressive," James said. "We went on the road, and won by double digits in each of those games and in some hostile environments. It was definitely a big road trip for us, six games in 10 days. We took care of business."

The Heat showed no mercy on the Cavs, who got 17 points from rookie Kyrie Irving and 15 from Ramon Sessions.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott was disturbed by a loss in which his team fell behind by 23 in the first quarter and never recovered.

"We looked like we were frightened," Scott said. "I said at halftime, 'It boggles my mind that you are scared of another man.'"

That would be James, who toyed with the Cavs and silenced a sell-out crowd that came to vent again at a player who thrilled it for seven seasons.

Other than pregame introductions, James was the one who made more noise.

"He's been playing at an MVP level all season," Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. "He's arguably playing the best ball of his career. He's playing as well as anyone in the league."

The Heat ended their trip with a devastating performance at both ends over the Cavs, who had played them tough in two previous losses this season.

Miami led 11-0, 21-2, 29-8 and 35-14 in the first quarter.

The Cavaliers never had a chance.

On the trip, the Heat also won three games in three nights, becoming the first team since the 1979-80 Phoenix Suns to accomplish that three-peat. And with Tuesday's 15-point win at Indiana, the Heat became the first team since Milwaukee in 1970 to win three consecutive road games by 10 points or more.

The Bucks won the NBA title that year. The Heat could be on their way to one of their own.

James had spent the past two days staying at his mansion in nearby Bath, Ohio, a perk he enjoyed and a stay that made him a little nostalgic.

On Thursday, James expressed the possibility of returning to the Cavs before his career is over. That's years down the road. His immediate plans are to win championships with the Heat.

With Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert sitting courtside, James and the Heat wasted no time in opening their huge lead.

Miami scored the game's first 11 points and pushed its lead to 25-5 when James grabbed a lob and delivered a vicious one-handed slam, an early punctuation mark. James and Mario Chalmers hit consecutive 3-pointers later in the quarter as the Heat opened a 21-point lead after one.

This wasn't what Scott had in mind. One of his assistants had written on the dry-erase board in Cleveland's locker room the message: "Hit First."

The Heat landed the initial shot and kept 'em coming.

They pushed their lead to 27 on a 3-pointer by Wade, and Miami went 8-of-12 from long range in opening a 63-38 lead.

In the third, James went on a personal 7-0 run he started with a pair of free throws. He followed that with a thunderous dunk and capped it with a 3-pointer. After the ball swished through the net, James headed down court, nodding to fans as if to say, "Remember me?"

"We took the crowd right out of it," James said. "That was big. It was a good way to start the game."

This was James' third visit to Cleveland with the Heat, and as usual, it turned into more than just a game.

James touched some nerves in Northeast Ohio and South Florida on Thursday when he said he could envision a return to the Cavs at some point.

"I think it would be great," he said. "It would be fun to play in front of these fans again. ... And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

Those remarks didn't sit well with some Miami fans, but James didn't back off his comments Friday. However, he did clarify that he is committed to the Heat.

"I love the fans of Miami. I'm here," said James, who can opt out of his contract after the 2014 season. "The question was asked of me, could I see myself playing back here. I said yeah, in the sense of I don't know what my future holds and I don't want to take that out.

"I've got everything invested with this team. I'm looking forward to the years to come."

But according to a report from Yahoo! Sports, James has been using messengers to relay to Gilbert that he wants to return to Cleveland in three years.

James was asked to comment on the report.

"Not true, not true at all," he said.

That's all conjecture.

This is fact: He and Heat look unstoppable.

Game notes

James improved to 6-1 against the Cavs, averaging 25.7 points. ... Cavs G Daniel Gibson sat out with a sprained left ankle but could be back Sunday against Sacramento. ... Spoelstra had high praise for Cleveland's young squad. "The future looks very bright for their organization and the future could be now," Spoelstra said. "They have a lot of young talent." ... Cavs C Semih Erden left with a bruised left wrist in the third quarter and didn't return.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade combine for 44 points in rout of Hawks

ATLANTA -- LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and the Miami Heat blew out the Atlanta Hawks 107-87 on Sunday night after racing to a 22-point lead at halftime.

The Heat made a big statement in the Southeast Division against the second-place Hawks, leading by as many as 32 in what turned into nothing more than a showcase for Miami's Big Three.

By halftime, Wade already had 21 points, James was rolling along with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Bosh put a double-double in the books with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat went to the locker room with a commanding 63-41 advantage, the Hawks having surrendered their most points in a half this season.

Miami won for the 10th time in the last 12 games.

Bosh finished with 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. James grabbed 13 rebounds and doled out six assists. Wade had a couple of steals and blocked a shot.

The Hawks starters -- four of whom were averaging in double figures -- combined for just 40 points, led by Joe Johnson with 12. Willie Green actually led with 17 points, the reserves getting plenty of playing time as coach Larry Drew emptied his bench in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta lost for the fourth time in its last five home games, the average margin in those defeats nearly 15 points. Even more troubling, Atlanta has fallen behind by at least 20 points in all four losses.

The first two meetings between the division rivals were much more competitive. Atlanta pulled off a stunning 100-92 win in Miami on Jan. 2, but the Heat bounced back three days later on the Hawks' home court for a 116-109 victory in triple overtime. James and Wade missed that second meeting, but Bosh carried the load with 33 points and 14 rebounds.

This time, Miami was at full strength. The result was a laugher.

Atlanta actually led 13-8 in the early going, but this one got away from the Hawks in a hurry. Miami ripped off nine straight points to take control, including a soaring dunk by James off a pass from Wade that would be a telling sign of things to come.

The Hawks failed to score over the final 4:30 of the first quarter, missing their last seven shots. Miami closed the period on an 11-0 run for a 30-18 lead, and it could've been even worse -- James zipped a pass to Udonis Haslem under the basket, but he missed the layup just before the buzzer as James punched at the air in frustration.

That was about the only lowlight for the Heat. James kept his foot on the pedal at the start of the second quarter, tipping in his own miss and knocking down two free throws to make it a 16-point game. The Hawks got a brief spark off the bench from Green, whose 3-pointer cut the deficit to 36-29 with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining the in the half.

That was as close as the Hawks would get. Miami outscored the home team 27-12 the rest of the period, not shooting all that well but dominating the boards. The Heat finished the half with a staggering 31-13 rebounding edge.

Game notes
Hawks C Jason Collins, out with a strained left elbow, will be evaluated Wednesday while the team is in Los Angeles. He said the movement in his arm is OK, but he'll have to build up the strength before he can return to the court. ... The Heat put five players in double figures. Mario Chalmers scored 15 and Norris Cole had 10. ... Atlanta's record dropped to 5-9 against teams that are above .500.

Top Performers

Miami		Atlanta
	L. James Points: 23 Reb: 13 Ast: 6 Stl: 1 Blk: 0		W. Green Points: 17 Reb: 3 Ast: 3 Stl: 0 Blk: 0

Game Leaders

	Miami	Atlanta
Points	L. James 23	W. Green 17
Rebounds	C. Bosh 16	Z. Pachulia 9
Assists	L. James 6	J. Smith 7
Steals	D. Wade 2	I. Johnson 2
Blocks	C. Bosh 2	J. Smith 2