Cavs fall flat against Charlotte, lose 94-87

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LeBron James and the Cavaliers were already struggling with their rhythm in Shaquille O’Neal’s return from injury.

When Michael Jordan started giving Gerald Wallace pointers on how to play LeBron, Cleveland was doomed.

Listening intently to Jordan and attacking a foul-prone James, Wallace had 31 points and 14 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats took advantage of the disjointed Cavaliers in a 94-87 victory on Friday night.

The surprising Bobcats won their third straight game following a seven-game losing streak behind Wallace, who beat James in numerous 1-on-1 matchups in the post — at the urging of the Bobcats managing partner sitting courtside.

“He’s rooting, but he also has his suggestions on how we should play,” Wallace said of Jordan. “He’s just like any other fan. He just happens to be Michael Jordan — and he’s also the boss.”

James scored 25 points, but Cleveland had its three-game winning streak snapped just as O’Neal returned after missing six games with a strained left shoulder.

O’Neal recovered after missing five of his first seven shots to finish with 11 points and eight rebounds. But with a slowed-down offense without a flow, Cleveland fell to 6-4 when he plays and 5-1 when he’s sidelined.

“While he was out, things just flowed because we were playing loose,” James said. “We had enough time where we had a certain lineup going. I don’t think we’ve had enough games with him in the lineup.”

Shaq was on the floor for much of the fourth quarter, when Cleveland cut a 24-point, third-quarter deficit to seven. But even with the Bobcats going the final nine minutes without a field goal, the Cavaliers only outscored Charlotte 16-12 in the fourth.

Coach Mike Brown said before the game he wanted to limit O’Neal to about 25 minutes. O’Neal played 29, hitting 5 of 11 shots and 1 of 3 free throws.

While there’s nearly five months before the playoffs start, Shaq’s offseason acquisition isn’t panning out yet.

“I felt pretty good,” O’Neal said. “I missed a couple of chippies that I usually don’t like to miss.”