Cavaliers set mark for wins
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James sensed something special about this Cleveland team from the outset. He liked the talent, the chemistry, the vibe.
Months later, his instincts were correct.
These Cavaliers are like no others.
James scored 22 points with 11 assists and made all the right moves in the closing minutes as the too-tough-at-home Cavaliers set a franchise record with their 58th win — and 10th straight — by beating the New Jersey Nets 98-87 on Tuesday night.
“I could tell that we were going to be really good,” James said. “I knew we could make this into something special — and we’ve been able to do that.”
With 11 games left in the regular season, the Cavs already have surpassed the club mark of 57 wins shared by the 1988-89 and 1991-92 teams, when Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Co. could beat anyone in the Eastern Conference except Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
Cleveland, which trailed 82-81 with less than four minutes left, also improved to an NBA-best 33-1 at home, 13-1 in March and 18-2 since the All-Star break.
The Cavaliers, now five games ahead of Boston and Orlando in the East, scored on their last 10 possessions and did not commit a turnover in the final 8:55.
“It seems like I’ve been saying the same speech a lot,” James said. “We should all be proud as a franchise. I have no problem answering the same question when we’re breaking records and setting records. It’s unbelievable what we’ve been able to do, but we have to continue.”
Vince Carter scored 20 and Jarvis Hayes 18 for the Nets, who are running out of time to make the playoffs.
Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams scored 16 apiece and Delonte West had 13 points with nine rebounds for the Cavs, who again showed they are much more than James.
New Jersey trailed all night before Keyon Dooling’s 3-pointer with 3:54 left gave the Nets an 82-81 lead, their first since 3-0.
James took things from there, scoring four points with three assists during a 12-2 stretch that put the game away.
In the first quarter, James moved into the Big O’s neighborhood.
With his first basket, James joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to post 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a season at least four times. Robertson did it six times.