LeBron, Shaq lead Cavs over Wizards

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer Nov 3, 11:01 pm EST

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CLEVELAND (AP)—Shaquille O’Neal(notes) has always felt like when he gets the ball down low, within a few feet of the basket, he should score every time.

“Got to,” he said. “If not, get rid of me.”

The Cavaliers just got him, and they’re not about to let him go.

O’Neal had easily his best game since joining Cleveland, scoring a season-high 21 points while wearing out Washington’s big men and LeBron James(notes) scored 27 points as the Cavaliers won their third straight, beating the Wizards 102-90 on Tuesday night.

Hitting bank shots. Dropping hooks. Making free throws. Dominating.

For the first time with the Cavaliers, Shaq was Shaq.

“It’s a big plus for me and everyone else,” James said.

The Cavs trailed by 18 in the second quarter before turning up their defense and relying on their superstar combo of James and O’Neal to win their sixth straight at home over the Wizards. When Cleveland’s offense sputtered, the Cavs simply dumped the ball inside to O’Neal and let him go to work.

“We said, ‘Let’s throw it to Shaq and have him get something for us’,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said.

Mo Williams(notes) scored 15 and Daniel Gibson(notes) 14 for the Cavs, who made nine 3-pointers in the second half—four in the fourth quarter when James was out. Cleveland held the Wizards to just 36 points in the second half and only 59 over the final three quarters.

Caron Butler(notes) and Gilbert Arenas(notes) scored 22 apiece to lead the Wizards.

O’Neal’s integration into their offense has been a slow process for the Cavs, but they are starting to figure out how to best use the All-Star center, who came over in a June trade from Phoenix. He made 7 of 9 field goals, 7 of 10 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and put Washington’s frontline in foul trouble.

He also endeared himself to Cleveland fans by flattening Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson(notes) on a drive in the first half. Stevenson has been a pest to the Cavs, engaging in a war of words with James in the playoffs two years ago.

“It hurt real bad, but that’s part of basketball,” Stevenson said of O’Neal’s takedown. “He apologized at halftime, so it’s all right.”

The Cavs have been using the 7-foot-1 O’Neal and his 7-foot-3 backup, Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes), together with mixed results. But the pair are getting more comfortable and confident with every second they spend on the floor and have the potential to be a matchup nightmare for any team.

O’Neal alone is enough to deal with—even at age 37. He wasn’t surprised the Wizards tried to guard him one on one, and he understands why.

“It’s an age thing. I don’t really take it personal,” he said. “I just have to let them know I’m still here and have to be reckoned with. I understand I’m not 27 or 19.”

Cleveland only led 78-73 after three, but the Cavs pushed their lead to 94-79 by making four 3s as James rested. He only played four minutes in the fourth.

Butler, back after missing one game with a bruised left knee, scored 17 in the first half but he and his teammates cooled off after halftime. Washington shot just 33 percent over the final three quarters.

Cleveland trailed by 39-21 in the second and were still down 12 when James re-entered the game. But with James scoring 10 points, Gibson hitting two 3-pointers and O’Neal scoring eight and drawing fouls inside, the Cavs were within 54-50 at halftime.

The Wizards had no answer for O’Neal and the Cavs used it to their advantage.

They slowed the game down and pounded the ball inside to their big man, forcing JaVale McGee(notes), Andray Blatche(notes) and Brendan Haywood(notes) to hack or pay. McGee picked up four fouls in less than 10 minutes.

Haywood felt O’Neal was getting too many calls.

“In the first half we had 12 fouls on our bigs alone,” Haywood said. “You read in between the lines all you want to. It definitely took away our aggressiveness. No one could be aggressive as they wanted to because you knew you were strapped with fouls.”

Brown has never had a weapon like O’Neal. When asked what it’s like to have such a big interior threat, Cleveland’s coach just smiled.

“It’s like this,” he said, pointing to his wide grin. “It’s like Christmas.”

NOTES: James did not vote and wanted to stay out of any discussion on Issue 3, a proposal to allow casinos in Ohio that was strongly supported by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. “I don’t want to get involved in that,” James said with a laugh. “That’s a sensitive subject in the NBA these days.” … During a timeout, Butler walked to midcourt and hugged a young couple who got engaged while the teams were huddling. … Cavs G Delonte West(notes) was indicted on additional weapons and traffic charges stemming from his Sept. 17 arrest in Maryland. He scored just four points in 20 minutes but was active at both ends. He didn’t play in the fourth.

Updated Nov 3, 11:01 pm EST
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50 Comments

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  1. benard
    50. Posted by benard Sat Nov 7 12:49pm EST

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    What happened in Newyork for the home the knicks?
  2. Steven
    49. Posted by Steven Wed Nov 4 7:56pm EST

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    couldn't agree with you more anthony
  3. Anthony
    48. Posted by Anthony Wed Nov 4 2:57pm EST

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    If Shaq didn't have a good game I would've been worried. Aside from Brendan Haywood the Wizards have absolutely no one with the skills or size to even remotely match up with Shaq. Blatche and McGee are both NBA infants when it comes to experience. Neither are particularly physical and neither particularly rebound that great. But its good to see Lebron have his normal 3+ turnover night, add that to his shotty 3-point shooting and its gonna be another MVP season for LBJ indeed.
  4. <i>cavslandrocks</i>
    47. Posted by cavslandrocks Wed Nov 4 1:10pm EST

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    Good to see MB using everyone available despite being down 18 in the second quarter...keeping everyone fresh will be key to the Cavs...

    and for you Whizzer Whiners...get off it about the refs...I saw this game and they tried their best to "hack-a-Shaq" but he came through at the stripe tonight....so shut up BH...you got smoked...deal with it
  5. HOOK
    46. Posted by HOOK Wed Nov 4 12:58pm EST

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    Tim, I never said anything about if there was one quarter then the Wizards would have won. I was just talking about why the Wizards loss. I didn't say a thing about last years playoffs.
  6. Tim K
    45. Posted by Tim K Wed Nov 4 11:12am EST

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    Nice to see the big fella get comfortable even i if it was the first time for him in the cavs uni... all you haters hate because you know damn well this team will be there come playoff time .. no matter how much you hate we will be there... Lebron is bigger than some troll hate ... believe that.

    MJ,Magic,Bird = old
    KB, LBJ = new
    all greats possibly the greatest of each of thier respected eras....who cares who was better they are all awesome and a lot of fun to watch.
  7. David
    44. Posted by David Wed Nov 4 10:11am EST

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    Nice analysis by vf1rj, and it is backed by this game's stats. Shaq went 7 for 9 so maybe next game you feed him the ball more. If LeBron has that kind of shooting percentage on any given night, watch out. This team will be unbeatable with help from Gibson and Hickson off the bench. They need that chemistry, though.
  8. Steven
    43. Posted by Steven Wed Nov 4 9:32am EST

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    peaceful, stop lying they won because washington are not in their level.
  9. Peaceful
    42. Posted by Peaceful Wed Nov 4 9:24am EST

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    I don't know what some of you are talking about. I watched about 10 minutes of this game and couldn't watch anymore. In that 10 minutes, Lebron fouled 3 people. One of the fouls was given to Shaq, the other to Mo Williams, and the other to someone else who had picked up his 5th foul.

    Utterly ridiculous. I would not brag on a team who is obviously not winning the games because of their talent.
  10. Tim
    41. Posted by Tim Wed Nov 4 8:53am EST

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    It's too bad that they play 4 quarters, HOOK. If they olny played 1 quarter, the cavs would have destroyed the magic in the playoffs, according to your logic.
  11. Kevin D
    40. Posted by Kevin D Wed Nov 4 7:59am EST

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    Delonte should be starting!!!!!
  12. vf1rj
    39. Posted by vf1rj Wed Nov 4 4:58am EST

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    Nice win for the CAVs. Congratulations all around. Nice game for Shaq. But he can still do better. Honestly, it's the same Shaq who won 3 championships for the Lakers. Check his stats. He used to get at least 17-20 shots a game, which translates to almost 30pts (29.9) a game for the Lakers. Now, he made what...10 shots, and he go 21pts? Imagine adding 7 or 10 more shots a game? He is slower now, but Shaq has never been fast. Phil Jackson's strategy for Shaq was simple--every possession, dump the ball to Shaq, he either get double teamed, where he kicks the ball to perimeter shooters, or gets one-on-one, where he scores either by a dunk, baby hook, lay up, bank shot. I have seen him play since 1993 (I was not a basketball fan during 1992 yet), and was with him since Orlando, Lakers, Miami, and Phoenix. He can still do what he does best (score) if he gets the ball. When he is in the "presidential seat", as he put it. I know that is unrealistic, because the Cavs has the king (LeBron), so that thrumps the "prez". But, if you give him more touches, he will produce and he will dominate. Maybe at least 15 shots a game, and you will see a dramatic increase in his production.
  13. chris w
    38. Posted by chris w Wed Nov 4 4:28am EST

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    Who care's.?..dey won't even get pass orlando,boston and miami....go heat!
    dwayne wade ur d man....
  14. benard
    37. Posted by benard Wed Nov 4 3:37am EST

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    Good play,Once more the clevaland cavaliers came back breathing fire with 27 points from LeBron and another 21 points from Shaq.this is a strong massage to LA Lakers fans,lets meet me in facebook for debate.my username is bernard osumba
  15. Boris Lermontov
    36. Posted by Boris Lermontov Wed Nov 4 3:29am EST

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    The usual Cavs fix. Lebron looks like a drag queen.
  16. captain billy
    35. Posted by captain billy Wed Nov 4 3:16am EST

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    Withers! come to the front of the classroom.

    Cleveland only led 78-73 at half-time??? (only led?)
    Cleveland led by only 78-73 - that's correct.
  17. TerrillV
    34. Posted by TerrillV Wed Nov 4 1:55am EST

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    Lebron ahead of Jordan statistically? First of all Lebron has a 3-year head start and second why am I even bothering comparing the two? I can't take lebron seriously until he has a consistent jump shot. When Lebron gets older he is no longer going to be a physical prowess, he is going to need other tools to get by other then bum rushing down low for a dunk. I even see Melo developing a really nice jump shot.
  18. Tukes T
    33. Posted by Tukes T Wed Nov 4 1:42am EST

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    lebron is ahead of jordan statistically, plus lebron is the youngest mvp winner of all-time, and he came 2nd in defensive player of the year voting, so hes well on the way to surpassing jordan, he just has to win the championships.
  19. BULLSFANSINCE7
    32. Posted by BULLSFANSINCE7 Wed Nov 4 1:03am EST

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    I swear to God LBJ's gonna average a triple double sooner or later. His line's gonna be 23/10/10...and that's either after his first ring or during his championship run...And then we'll see if he could surpass Jordan's legacy. I know he has the ability to, because of God given gifts but his penetrating court vision is rare among players of his caliber.
  20. HOOK
    31. Posted by HOOK Wed Nov 4 12:43am EST

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    Can't wait for November 18th for the rematch. The Akron Hammer is getting shut down.
  21. HOOK
    30. Posted by HOOK Wed Nov 4 12:39am EST

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    The Wizards were kicking ass in the first quarter. Then after that, they pretty much did the opposite of the first quarter. The Cavs did step up there D but the Wizards didn't shoot well for the most part. Just look at almost every stat. The Cavs beat the Wizards in almost every one of them. Cavs fans, sorry but you are not better than the Celtics, Lakers, and Magic.
  22. paul a
    29. Posted by paul a Wed Nov 4 12:04am EST

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    Be a witness or be a victim, KING JAMES RULES!
  23. Texas_Hurricane
    28. Posted by Texas_Hurricane Tue Nov 3 11:57pm EST

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    Cleveland Won't Even Be Mentioned Come Play-Off Time.

    Chicago Will Win That Division....And James Will Be Moving On To Bigger & Better Places.
  24. Jim
    27. Posted by Jim Tue Nov 3 11:56pm EST

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    Lebron, you don't have to comment on issues that are before the public in an election, but when you do not vote, that is not much of an example to the youth of today. Lebron seems like a great guy, but in terms of social activism, a total zero, embarassing.
  25. Steven
    26. Posted by Steven Tue Nov 3 11:32pm EST

    Report Abuse

    quit crying paching and go watch gossip girl with 50 cent and that gay ass soulija boy. yeah i said it again and i will keep saying that because that is the only thing you could do.
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Top Performers

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 Washington
G. Arenas Gilbert Arenas
7-18,  22 Pts
7 Rebs, 5 Assists
 Cleveland
L. James LeBron James
7-16,  27 Pts
8 Rebs, 6 Assists

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