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LeBron quietly dominates as Cavs cruise by Hornets 105 - 92
March 24, 2010
The biggest storyline for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday occurred when LeBron James fell to the floor near the end of the first half and couldn't put weight on his left leg. Never fear, though, as James returned to open the second half with no ill effects of an injury. In turn, New Orleans had no chance as James scored a relatively quiet 38 points as the Cavs knocked off the Hornets 105-92 to maintain and extend their stronghold on top of the Eastern Conference standings. The win, combined with an Orlando loss, gives Cleveland a seven-game lead in the East -- nearly giving the Cavs a chokehold on home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. James' points may have only seemed quiet because the Hornets didn't put up much resistance as the Cavs forward went 15-for-22 from the field along with nine assists. James said he felt more like he was on his game rather than a lack of New Orleans defense. "They had resistance," James said. "I seen the guy in front of me. But I made a lot of shots. I got comfortable. I made some difficult shots. I took some difficult shots and I made them. Once I get into a flow, I feel like I can make any shot on the court." Hornets forward David West wouldn't disagree with James' assessment.
"They picked us apart defensively," said West, who scored 16 points. "I think LeBron was able to get himself going and getting other guys [involved]. When they're doing that that, it's tough to beat them." Yet the scarier moment for James occurred with less than 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter as he came down awkwardly on his left ankle. James returned for the start of the third, showing little signs of the injury. James did say his ankle "has been better," but he said he'll be ready for Friday's game in San Antonio. James didn't want to go as far as saying he was frightened when he dropped to the court, but there was some worrying that he may have injured his ankle more serious. "I was a little concerned," James said. "I was able to get out a little bit. I turned it pretty good, though, but I do a lot of core work, resistance. I do a lot of ankle work. My ankles are very strong and that allowed me not to twist it as bad." It wasn't just James who shot well, it was the entire Cavs team, shooting a sparkling 57.1 percent from the floor.
Cleveland also took control in the paint as J.J. Hickson exploited the Hornets' lack of size in the frontcourt with 20 points. Hickson led a complete domination in the paint by Cleveland as it scored 58 on 29-for-37 shooting. "I feel I've improved a lot," the second-year Hickson said. "I'm playing defense better and I'm doing more on offense than just catching the ball and going up. ... I learned you have to take what the defense gives you." The Cavs received quite the familiar face back in the lineup as Zydrunas Ilgauskas made his return after Cleveland cut ties with him a month ago. He played 17 minutes and James anticipates Ilgauskas will work his way back into the rotation.
"Z knows the system, but I think he'll even tell that he probably felt a little out of place," James said. "But being out for a month is a long time even when you know the guys and know the system." Chris Paul saw his minutes increase in his second game back after a knee injury sidelined him for 25 games. He played 31 minutes, but scored only five points and tallied seven assists. Rookie Marcus Thornton led the way for New Orleans with 20, while rookie Darren Collison added 17 off the bench. If the Hornets, losers in 13 of their last 17, lose to Portland on Saturday, they are officially eliminated from the playoffs.