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James Overcomes Smack From Shaq

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By TOM WITHERS, The Associated Press

Published: December 26, 2007

CLEVELAND - LeBron James winced as he pressed the ice bag tightly against his swollen jaw.

On Christmas, he felt lucky to still have his two front teeth.

"I got elbowed by Shaquille O'Neal in the face, which is not a good thing," James said. "Ever."

James shook off the big man's blow to the head and scored 25 points, Drew Gooden had 18 and Cleveland's defense arrived in time for the holiday, sparking the struggling Cavaliers to a 96-82 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

James, who left Quicken Loans Arena in disgust following an embarrassing loss to Golden State on Sunday, added 12 assists and outshined fellow superstar and good friend Dwyane Wade, who scored 22 points but didn't make his first field goal of the second half until there was only 4:01 remaining.

By then, the Cavaliers were already ahead by 12 points. And thanks to a defense that had gone AWOL for most of the season's first two months, they rolled to only their fourth win in the last 14 games.

"When we play defense we're a pretty good team," James said. "When we don't, we don't look so well - simple as that. Today was a good step."
Daniel Gibson scored 16 points, including six on consecutive 3-pointers to open the fourth. Anderson Varejao scored 15 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13 for Cleveland, which had one of its most balanced games this season - and its most lopsided win.

Wade finished 7-for-18 from the floor and 8-for-16 from the free-throw line for Miami (8-20), which began the season as one of the Eastern Conference's favorites but is headed in the wrong direction.

Two years removed from an NBA championship, Coach Pat Riley's team doesn't look like one ready for a title run.

Wade was asked if Miami's current group of players is the right one.

"That's not my job," he said. "My job is to go out there and play. I don't worry about the mix. That's Coach's job. He's the president."

About the only positive for the Heat was that O'Neal didn't foul out. The center of the Heat's universe had been disqualified from his previous five games, coming within one of matching the NBA record set by Milwaukee's Don Boven in 1952. O'Neal picked up his fifth foul with 6:55 left and was immediately pulled by Riley.

Ricky Davis had 15 points and O'Neal 13 for the Heat.

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