LeBron helps Cavs cruise early, hold off Knicks rally

You know, it's not easy being a fan of the best team in the NBA.

(bursts out laughing)

Yeah it is. But what's maddening about watching the Cleveland Cavaliers play is that every one of their opponents will pour their heart into the game. They see the game as an opportunity to put aside their woes, come to play with no pressure or expectations, and upset the top seeded team. They will play the entire game 100% on fumes. They will circle their game against the Cavs on their calendar, with dreams in their head of marking it off as a big win. It's exasperating that teams do this, but that's what happens. And of course the Cavs can't be expected to play with 100% precision 100% of the time. As a result, you will get nights where the Cavs play wonderfully, but cannot maintain their perfection the entire game. Still, they do what it takes to win, and the next day, all that matters is who walked away with the W.

Yes, the Cavs blew a 20 point lead and turned a 72 point first half into a less overwhelming 113 point game against the Knicks. But really, is it going to matter tomorrow? Tonight we reached 42 wins. We're close to reaching the record we had last year. No one played poorly. The only complaint I have is why we didn't play JJ Hickson more. He had 10 points in 15 minutes. Did something happen that I missed?

The Top Three Cavs Performances:

LeBron James: 17-31, 6-12 3PM-A, 47 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals. The Knicks had no way of defending him, and a part of me wants to think that they didn't mind him putting up so many points. In any case, they would have to live with it, because LeBron gets what he wants when his inner flame burns bright enough.

Anthony Parker: 4-6, 2-3 3PM-A, 11 points, 31 minutes. Though he didn't win his duel with Danilo Gallinari, he put up the kind of shooting performance we've missed from him in January.

Shaquille O'Neal: 8-13 3-5 FTM-A, 19 points, 3 blocks, 26 minutes. How helpless were the Knicks against Shaq? They couldn't even get the Big Fella in foul trouble. Shaq committed a perfect 0 FOULS all game long.

Up next? The 4-win New Jersey Nets. Flee, flee for your lives!!!!