James outduels Garnett as Cavs beat Wolves (AP) Updated: 2006-02-09 14:11
MINNEAPOLIS - If the Eastern Conference gets off to a slow start in the
All-Star game on Feb. 19, coach Flip Saunders may want to try playing forward
LeBron James at point guard. It worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday
night.
Playing the point almost exclusively in the second half, James
scored 12 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Cavaliers over the
Minnesota Timberwolves 97-91.
"It does wonders for us because he's not only making plays for others, but
he's also in attack mode from one end to the other," Cavs guard Damon Jones said
of James' position switch.
In a matchup of two of the most successful players to make the jump from high
school to the NBA, James and Kevin Garnett needed plenty of help from their
teammates in this one.
James dominated the fourth quarter, while Garnett disappeared.
James got off to a slow start and was just 11-of-34 from the field, but he
made the big shots when Cleveland needed them most, following a turnaround
jumper on the low block with a 3-pointer that gave the Cavs a nine-point lead
with 3 minutes to play.
"He's like a locomotive going to the basket," Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey
said. "It's almost physically impossible to stop him without fouling him."
Trenton Hassell did an admirable job harassing James, but unlike Garnett, the
21-year-old James took control when he wanted to.
"It's kind of hard to guard me 94 feet," James said. "I put a lot of pressure
on the defense when I'm playing point guard."
Garnett was just 1-for-5 in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points,
18 rebounds and six assists.
The Timberwolves went on a 6-0 run late in the game to cut Cleveland's lead
to 90-88 with 36 seconds to go, but James came right back with a driving layup
to hand Minnesota its fourth loss in five games.
|