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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been voted as a starter to the 2006 Eastern Conference All-Star Team by the fans, it was announced today by the NBA. James received the third-most votes overall (2,207,697) and the most among Eastern Conference players.
James becomes the first Cavalier to be named an All-Star starter more than once and the seventh player in team history to make multiple All-Star Appearances. Last season, he became the second youngest All-Star Starter in league history (Kobe Bryant) as he helped lead the Eastern Conference to a 125-115 win over the Western Conference in Denver. He put up 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes of action.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown leaned against the white concrete wall outside his team’s locker room, getting asked about the Miami Heat’s big scoring run that helped send his Cavaliers to their worst loss of the season.
“Which time?” was Brown’s reply.
And that was the problem. Miami’s first run wasn’t enough to doom the Cavaliers but the Heat’s second burst certainly finished the job.
The Heat used a 22-0 first-half run to build a lead, then went on a 19-1 burst in the fourth quarter to seal their 101-73 win over Cleveland on Thursday night, snapping the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak.
Dwyane Wade had 24 points and six assists and Shaquille O’Neal had 21 points and eight rebounds for Miami, which moved a season-high 11 games over .500. LeBron James had 29 points for Cleveland, which was playing its fourth game in five nights.

Zendon Hamilton will wear No. 31 in his second stint with the 76ers. 76ers President Billy King announced today that the team has signed center Zendon Hamilton to a 10-day contract. With the transaction, the Sixers roster now stands at 14 players.
A 6-foot-11, 254-pound center, Hamilton returns to Philadelphia for his second stint with the Sixers after playing in 45 games for the team during the 2003-04 season. He began the 2005-06 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he appeared in 11 games averaging 2.3 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.2 minutes per game. This is the third 10-day contract for Hamilton this season, who signed his first on Jan. 10 after being waived by Cleveland on Jan. 5. He signed his second with the Cavaliers on Jan. 20. Hamilton will wear No. 31 for the Sixers.
Including Cleveland, Hamilton has played for seven different teams during his six-year NBA career, (LA Clippers 2000-01, Denver 2001-02, Toronto 2002-03, Philadelphia 2003-04, Milwaukee 2004-05 and Houston 2004-05). He has career averages of 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game in 133 games (15 starts).
Undrafted by an NBA franchise, Hamilton played professionally abroad in Spain (1998-1999) and Greece (1999-2000). He also spent part of the 2003-04 season playing for Yakima of the CBA. Before turning pro, Hamilton played four years (1994-98) at St. John’s University, where he averaged 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in 114 games.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Ira Newble is still in the hospital today being treated for a facial abscess. The team says Newble won’t accompany the Cavs on their trip to play the Miami Heat tomorrow. The abscess is Newble’s second medical setback this season. He missed the first 23 games this season with tissue inflammation in his right foot. He missed Monday’s game with a migraine headache. The Cavs say the migraine and the abscess are not related. Newble didn’t participate in a light practice yesterday before he went to the hospital. He is averaging one-point-three points and 13 minutes per game for the Cavs.

LeBron James recorded his third triple-double of the season and seventh of his career to inspire the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 91-85 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday, extending their winning streak to seven games. James bagged 26 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in front of the home fans to claim their first win over the Nets in six meetings.
Drew Gooden contributed 18 points and six rebounds to the Cleveland cause while Sasha Pavlovic had 14 points. Vince Carter bagged a game-high 29 points for New Jersey, Richard Jefferson added 19 and Jason Kidd 14 but the Nets could not follow up their impressive win over league-leading Detroit on Tuesday, absorbing their fifth loss in six games.

Cavaliers center Zendon Hamilton’s second 10-day contract expired after yesterday’s game. He won’t be back with the team. Some of his teammates weren’t happy about it, either.
When asked after the game whether he’d be signed for the rest of the season, Hamilton said, ”I don’t know what’s going on with that.”He was informed of the news by coach Mike Brown and general manager Danny Ferry soon thereafter.
The Cavaliers are on the prowl for a point guard, with Timberwolves guard Marcus Banks a possibility.

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James says he won’t participate in the N-B-A’s All-Star dunk contest. But he will participate in the skills challenge. James has declined to participate in the dunk contest in all three of his seasons.
Meanwhile, James has been named the Eastern Conference’s player of the week after leading Cleveland to a 4-and-0 record since January 24th.
He averaged 33-point-eight points, eight-point-five rebounds, seven-point-five assists and two-point-three steals in the four victories.
The Cavaliers have won five straight since losing five in a row on a West Coast road trip. They entered tonight’s game at Charlotte in second place in the Central Division

LeBron James scored 32 of his 44 points after halftime to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback in a 113-to-106 win over Phoenix.
The Suns led 72-to-55 until James contributed 14 points in the final seven-49 of the third quarter. The surge allowed the Cavs to get within 87-to-84 by the end of the period.
James also had eleven rebounds and seven assists in the Cavaliers’ fifth consecutive win. He’s averaging 37-point-two points, seven-point-eight rebounds and six-point-six assists during the winning streak.
Sasha Pavlovic added 15 points and Donyell Marshall finished with 14 for Cleveland.
Steve Nash had a team-high 24 points for the Suns, who shot just 30 percent in the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion added 22 points. For Box Scores CLICK HERE.