Lebron James wasn’t feeling good, Ben Wallace lost 10 punds in the past few days from an intestinal flue and played only 15 minutes, Delonte West was on the bench with a cast on his wrist that he broke during Thursday’s game in Chicago, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas was in suit. To top all that off, the Cavaliers didn’t get home from Chicago until 4 a.m. because of weather delays.
Mike Brown knew he needed a miracle to pull this off. Using some bizarre lineups and taking calculated risks, the Cavaliers were rewarded with a hard-earned win over the New Orleans Hornets at the Q.
Lebron James played center for about 12 minutes in the second half. Have the 6-foot-2 Daniel Gibson guard the 6-9 David West in the post and have two role players have their best games of the season.
Asked how he liked playing center, James just shook his head.
“Y’all know I’ll do anything for my team,” he said. “But that will have to be an every once in a while type thing.”
“I think the small lineup may have put them in a position they didn’t want to be in or expect,” James said.
The Cavs improved to 20-0 at home, becoming the sixth team since the NBA-ABA merger in ’76-77 to start 20-0 or better at home and first since the ’95-96 Chicago Bulls.
LeBron James had 29 points, seven assists and tied a season-high with 14 rebounds in the win.