Cavs bully their way past Detroit

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James fired down the lane at full speed, ignored Rasheed Wallace’s feeble attempt to stop him and scored.

Cleveland’s star then stood under the basket, flexing his biceps like a bodybuilder for all to admire.

Make no mistake, there’s a new bully in the Central Division.

James made two crucial three-point plays down the stretch and finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers won their 13th straight game, 79-73 on Tuesday night over the Detroit Pistons, who gave the NBA’s best team all it could handle.

However, on a night when their shots didn’t fall, the Cavs did just enough.

“That’s the sign of a good team,” James said. “No matter the circumstances, we continue to win. Whatever the game is, tight or a shootout or an offensive struggle or a defensive game, we find a way to win.”

The Cavs trailed 69-67 midway through the fourth when James took over, scoring eight points and handing out an assist in a 10-0 run.

With the win, Cleveland improved to 36-1 at home, won the season series from Detroit for the first time in 11 years, and became just the sixth team in NBA history to win 16 games in one month.

“That is amazing,” said James, who was reminded the Cavs won just 17 in the season before his arrival.

Richard Hamilton scored 13 and Allen Iverson 11 for the Pistons.