(Best E Casino) - According to LeBron James in one of his numerous ads on television, "You don't want to be me, you want to be better than me."
To be better than Cleveland's current superstar and second coming of Michael Jordan is a preposterous task. Why? Because there aren't that many professionals right now who have the skills to overthrow King James as the most exciting and dominant player in the NBA. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers may believe otherwise at 28.0 ppg, but let's be serious here.
James admits in his Nike ad that nothing about his game is great yet, and he still has a lot of work to do, more challenges to overcome and more to learn about the storied sport. Now that sounds absurd, especially coming from the mouth of the league's top scorer at 30.1 points per game. James, who also averages 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per contest, has scored at least 20 points in 28 consecutive games, including 14 contests with 30 or more points.
He is averaging 29.6 points over the last six tilts, and hasn't scored less than 20 points in a contest since dropping 17 in a win over the Indiana Pacers on December 11 at Quicken Loans Arena. James is the main reason for Cleveland's 2008 surge, as the Cavs own a 15-5 record since the ball dropped in Times Square.
James posted 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Monday's 118-111 victory over the Southeast Division-leading Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. The effort lifted the defending Eastern Conference-champion Cavaliers to a 29-22 record and pulled them within 8 1/2 games of the Detroit Pistons for the top spot in the Central Division.
The Cavs have won two of three and four of their last six games, and will open a two-game homestand on Wednesday versus San Antonio and Houston. They are 15-8 at Quicken Loans Arena in 2007-08, while sporting a 14-14 mark as the visitor this season.
James and the gang will face the only team that stood in their way of an NBA title when the Spurs pay a visit tomorrow night. The Spurs swept the Cavs during last year's NBA Finals, and won the NBA championship with an 83-82 victory in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series at Cleveland. The Cavaliers, though, earned a measure of revenge with a 90-88 triumph in the first meeting this season on January 17 at the AT&T Center.
Cleveland beat the Spurs on the road for just the second time in the last 18 regular season matchups, but San Antonio has won 10 of 16 and 20 of the last 28 meetings. The Spurs, though, have lost their last two trips to Cleveland in the regular season.
In other team news, guard Larry Hughes is averaging 19.7 points over his last seven games. He has reached double digits in scoring in each of those games, including a season-high 40 points on 12-of-19 shooting against the Magic.
