Grabbing a win with LeBron’s 15 assists

Posted by admin on February 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment

LeBron James tied a career high with 15 assists and Shaquille O’Neal ruled underneath, collecting 13 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the worn-down Memphis Grizzlies 105-89 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory.

James scored 22 but was more focused on setting up his teammates. It was the fifth time in six games he has had at least 10 assists, accepting the challenge of running Cleveland’s offense while the club waits for guards Mo Williams and Delonte West to return from injuries.

Cleveland has won its past four games by an average of 19 points.

Rudy Gay scored 15 for Memphis, playing its fourth game in five nights. Zach Randolph finished with eight points – 13 below his average – on 3-of-14 shooting and O.J. Mayo had 10 on a 4-of-15 night.

The Grizzlies were coming off a two-point home win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but they lacked the legs or energy to run with the Cavaliers, who lead the NBA with a 39-11 record and improved to 10-0 against Western Conference teams at home this season.

Before the game, Cleveland’s coaches stressed the importance of stopping Memphis’ inside game, writing “Defend the paint” on the dry-erase board in the Cavs’ locker room. The Grizzlies came in leading the league with 52 points per game in the paint, but with O’Neal blocking four shots, the Cavs never let Memphis’ big men get comfortable and outscored the Grizzlies 65-34 in the lane.

Cleveland built an 18-point halftime lead and never let the Grizzlies get closer than 16 in the second half. After Mayo’s 3-pointer capped a seven-point run, James picked up a loose ball in front of the Grizzlies’ bench, calmly measured his shot and drained a 3-pointer to put Cleveland back in control.

O’Neal doesn’t have to dominate the way he once did, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take over.

James has established himself as a legitimate triple-double threat and has averaged 27.5 points, 6.7 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game for his career. As of the 2008–09 season, he has recorded 28 triple-doubles in his career, with 24 in the regular season and four in the postseason. On offense, James is known for using his size, strength and quickness to get past defenders, and for absorbing contact while finishing at the basket. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He is a solid rebounder who regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. His skills have led to many comparisons to NBA legends Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.

James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald’s and State Farm. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20-5-5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a 2007 series of commercials called “The LeBrons”, as well as had his likeness voiced by Kenan Thompson in a 2009 commercial series titled “MVPuppets”. In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.