LeBron good, McGrady better

Tracy McGrady scored 41 points to lead Orlando past Cleveland in overtime, 113-101.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- As good as LeBron James was, Tracy McGrady was better.
Showing why the NBA saw fit to showcase teams with losing records on national television on Christmas, two of the league's brightest young stars put on a dazzling display that left them gushing about each other.
"I just told him to stay hungry. To keep those guys going," McGrady said Thursday after scoring 41 to James' 34 in the Orlando Magic's 113-101 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I told him he was a hell of a player and I enjoyed watching him play," McGrady said
James scored 30-plus for the third consecutive road game.
McGrady finished with his second 40-point performance of the season and narrowly missed his first triple-double with 11 assists and eight rebounds.
"He is an All-Star. He is a future Hall of Famer," James said.
"Guys like him, you cannot stop. You can only hope to contain him."
The sold-out crowd -- the first in Orlando since James made his pro debut here in a summer league scrimmage in July -- was the first indication that it was a special occasion.
When McGrady hit his first three shots and James made his first four, it set the stage for a truly memorable game.
Good numbers
James, the only NBA player averaging over 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, made 13 of 28 shots.
The 18-year-old phenom was 4-of-9 in the fourth quarter before missing all four of his attempts in overtime, though. He finished 4-of-10 from 3-point range.
Pretty good numbers, although McGrady was slightly better at 15-for-29, including 5-of-9 on 3-pointers.
After Juwan Howard scored Orlando's first eight points in overtime, McGrady made a pair of 3s to put the game away.
"Tracy's a big-time player, there's no question, as is LeBron James," Magic coach Johnny Davis said. "But T-Mac's focus is not on any one-on-one contest between him and LeBron or him and anyone else. He understands that it's about our team and what he does for our team in terms of making us better."
Davis said James is "everything and then some."
"He is a phenomenal young player. He certainly will get better as his career progresses. He's very poised, very polished, very confident," the Orlando coach added.
Impressive
Howard, who had 19 points, was impressed, too.
"I'm amazed that at 18 he's so mature out there on the floor," he said.
"When I was 18 years old I was just happy to be in college playing for the University of Michigan. This kid right now, he's an outstanding player."
McGrady, coming off a subpar shooting night in a 22-point loss at Philadelphia on Monday, had uncontested dunks on consecutive possessions to set the tone for a high-scoring first half.
The Magic led 95-86 with 6:36 remaining in regulation, then missed 12 of 13 shots down the stretch, including its last six. The Cavs tied it at 97 on Carlos Boozer's rebound of James' miss with 46.9 seconds left.
It was Orlando in the extra period. Cleveland was outscored 16-4 with James going scoreless, although that didn't change the way McGrady viewed the rookie's performance.
"He's unbelievable," McGrady said. "He's not 18. Can't possibly be. If he continues to work hard and stay hungry, it can be ugly. It's scary how good he can be."