NBA LeBron's bucket wins it for Cavs

His shot from just inside the 3-point line gave Cleveland a 103-101 win over the Hornets.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Cavaliers coach Mike Brown figures getting LeBron James playoff experience is more important than getting him rest.
James hit a jumper from the top of the key with 0.5 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 103-101 victory over New Orleans on Monday night.
"He is absolutely amazing," Brown said. "He is the MVP in my opinion."
After P.J. Brown blocked James' driving layup, Desmond Mason tied the game at 101 when he made one of two free throws with 5.8 seconds left.
Mason then had the task of guarding James -- who finished with 32 points -- off an inbounds pass from Flip Murray, but couldn't stop him from elevating just inside the 3-point line for the game-winner.
"That last shot is exactly what we want. We wanted to spread the ball and we wanted No. 23 to make a play," Mike Brown said. "I don't care what he does with the ball because I know nine times out of 10, he's going to make the play to win the ballgame."
P.J. Brown caught an inbounds pass from Speedy Claxton but couldn't get a tying shot off before the buzzer.
Fewer minutes, maybe
Before the game, Mike Brown talked about cutting back on playing time for James, whose average of 42.9 minutes is second most in the NBA, since the Cavaliers can't move up or down in the playoff race. James said he'd be fine with that.
"But when we get into a game like this, I want to play," he said. "Games like this I want to be in down the stretch because I feel like I can make plays for our team."
When James was replaced by Eric Snow in a three-point game with 9:28 left, he shot a confused look at his coach.
"He didn't want to come out but I took him out," Brown said. "And then when I felt LeBron had enough rest, I went ahead and put him back in and he closed the deal for us. He's big time."
Mike Brown said he considered the circumstances, including a noisy sellout crowd, and decided he wanted his best players on the court, including James.
"That was a great atmosphere out there. They were feeding off the crowd. They're desperate for a win. I thought that's almost as close to a playoff atmosphere as you're going to get," the Cavs coach said.
Down the stretch
James was out for less than three minutes and played heavily into the final outcome. He made the second of two free throws to put Cleveland ahead 97-96 2:03 left, then attracted three defenders to free up Donyell Marshall for a 3-pointer to put Cleveland up by four.
Claxton answered with a jumper and Paul got the Hornets within 101-100 with two free throws with 30 seconds left before Mason tied it.
Playing in his 43nd minute, James then provided the difference.
Murray added 25 points and Marshall scored 16 for Cleveland, which was 11-for-18 from 3-point range. The Cavaliers have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Paul led New Orleans with 22 points, while West and Claxton added 14 apiece. New Orleans has lost two in a row.
"We just have to win these next five games to give ourselves the opportunity," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "That's it."