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LeBron puts up 45 as Cavs beat Knicks
2007-11-03
LeBron James scored 45 points and Daniel Gibson made four 3-pointers in just over two minutes in the fourth quarter to rally the Cleveland Cavaliers past the New York Knicks, 110-106 on Friday night. James bounced back from a 10-point performance in a season-opening loss to Dallas by scoring the most points ever by a Cleveland player against New York. World B. Free dropped 39 on the Knicks in 1984. After looking unworthy of calling themselves defending Eastern Conference champions against the Mavericks, the Cavaliers got big plays from James, big shots from Gibson and a big win before embarking on a tough, six-game road trip out West. Gibson, Cleveland's shooting star in last season's playoffs, finished with six 3-pointers and 24 points. Drew Gooden added 14 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 rebounds for Cleveland. The Cavaliers trailed by three points early in the fourth when Gibson, now sporting a haircut with a star shaved into his head, went on his shooting tear. He buried four 3s -- three on assists from James -- in a 2:17 span to rescue the Cavs. It was almost a replay of Game 6 in last season's conference finals, when he buried the Detroit Pistons by scoring 19 in the fourth to send the Cavs into the NBA finals for the first time. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Zach Randolph had 21 points and 14 rebounds in his debut with the Knicks, who were finally playing a meaningful game following a turbulent offseason that included a jury finding coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden had sexually harassed a former team executive. With the Cavs down 86-83 and in jeopardy of falling to 0-2, James and Gibson teamed up to turn things around. Gibson's 3-pointer tied it, and James converted a three-point play before Gibson's second straight 3 made it 92-87. After Stephon Marbury countered with a 3 for New York, Gibson floated into the corner as James drew a double team. He spotted up, caught a soft pass from James and dropped in his third 3-pointer in less than two minutes to put Cleveland up 95-90. Following a turnover by New York, Gibson came down and knocked down his fourth straight 3, a shot that had Cavaliers fans thinking about last spring's memorable night when Cleveland clinched the East at home. The Knicks had built their lead by pounding the ball inside to Randolph and Eddy Curry, who finished with 18 points. Curry, though, missed five free throws and the Knicks went only 14-of-23 from the line. Nate Robinson added 19 points for New York. The Cavaliers still weren't quite at full strength, as forward Sasha Pavlovic missed his second game in a row since ending his holdout and signing a three-year, $12 million contract extension. Less than an hour before tip-off, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown summoned James to his office for a talk. If Brown's message was to be more assertive, Cleveland's superstar listened and then went right at the Knicks. He scored 23 points in the first half as he continually pushed the ball toward the basket or posted up his defenders. The Knicks came out firing, too, and shot 61 percent (14-of-23) in the opening 12 minutes. Notes:@ Like everyone, James has been keeping an eye on the unfolding Kobe Bryant drama. Part of James wouldn't mind if Bryant ended up in the East. "As a competitor, I would love to play against Kobe Bryant four times a year," he said. "As a fan, it's almost like when Mike (Jordan) played for the Wizards. You really can't see Kobe playing for anyone but the Lakers. I think they need to figure out if they're going to trade him or not." ... The Knicks are 36-26 in openers. ... Pavlovic signed his contract on Wednesday, but the Serbian native wasn't able to play until he sorted through some immigration red tape. He got his U.S. visa on Friday and is expected to practice Saturday.
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