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THE first six points of LeBron James Friday night cemented his
status as the greatest ballplayer in Cleveland Cavaliers history.
His next 23 points showed why he is.
James worked his way around Anthony Parker for a
lay-up with 4:10 remaining in the first period to become
Cleveland’s all-time leading scorer. The basket gave him 10,391 in
just 380 games, surpassing the 10,389 points of Brad Daugherty.
He capped his coronation night with his
customary fourth quarter explosion. James, the league’s top scorer
and leading producer in the fourth period, netted 11 points in the
final 12 minutes of play en route to Cleveland’s 90-83 win over
Toronto.
The sold-out crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena
gave James a roaring standing ovation after his latest achievement.
An emotional James went to center court to show his appreciation and
was met afterwards by his teammates, who handed out hugs, handshakes
and high-fives.
“These fans have watched me go from zero
points all the way to 10,000 plus,” said James. “They support
me, they support my teammates every night we go out on the
basketball court. They have seen me grow from a young man to a
man.”
“The crazy thing about it is he’s only
23,” said Coach Brown. “To get that franchise record now is
absolutely amazing. I just want to thank him for allowing me to work
with him, because it’s been a fun ride and hopefully it’s going
to be a long ride.”
James finished the night 14-for-22 from the
floor, adding a team-high 12 rebounds, five assists and a blocked
shot.
“It’s a joy to play with LeBron and it’s a
joy to watch him out there on the floor because of some of the
things he’s doing,” praised forward Joe Smith. “I congratulate
him and I know he has at least 30,000 more in him.”
In what might have been a playoff preview, the
two clubs went back and forth all night, with neither team taking a
double-digit lead. The Raptors tied the game halfway through the
third quarter and kept the pressure on throughout the period.
But James began working his magic early in the
fourth, with a little help from Damon Jones, whose consecutive
three-pointers tied the game and gave the Cavaliers a lead. Toronto
managed to tie the game twice more with a pair of tough jumpers, but
James began pouring it on down the stretch and the Cavaliers cruised
to the finish line.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had another solid night for
the Cavaliers, doubling-up with 16 points and 10 boards to round out
the starters in double-figures.
Chris Bosh led Toronto with 24 points on
7-for-18 shooting, including 10-of-12 from the stripe. Rasho
Nesterovic was 8-of-13 off the Raptors’ bench for 16 points and
seven boards.
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