LeBron James says Knicks are a better team this season . . . Cavaliers, too

It was about 9:30 Friday morning and Madison Square Garden still was a good 10 hours from coming to life with the bright sights and loud sounds from Knicks-Cavaliers. But LeBron James was in a courtside seat, waiting for the shootaround and talking about what the Cavs would be facing Friday night.

The Knicks arrived with a 4-5 record, and they had left a positive impression on King James despite falling by 10 points last week at his Cleveland kingdom. So no matter what happened in the rematch, James knew these weren't the 17-win Knicks of last season.

"They're a better team," James said. "They added some more experience. They added some young guys. They're playing better ball."

But the Cavaliers also have been playing better than at the start of last season, James' first season back in his hometown region after four in Miami. The Cavs bowed out in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against Golden State last June, but they were minus Kevin Love for the entire series and without Kyrie Irving for most of it.

Now they own an eight-game winning streak after a season-opening loss -- and Irving and Iman Shumpert have yet to play because of injuries.

James cooled down Carmelo Anthony in the second half Friday night and warmed up offensively, taking charge by scoring 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter. That powered a rally from eight behind and led the Cavaliers to a 90-84 victory.

"I always preach and say, 'Whatever it takes for the team to win,' and tonight was another one of those cases," James said. "We just needed some type of push, and I was happy I was able to make some kind of push offensively."

Or as teammate J.R. Smith put it: "He loves to perform in the big moments -- period."

This is a deeper team, a team the two-ringed native of Akron, Ohio, hopes can help him accomplish what he's driven to do: bring Cleveland its first championship in major pro sports since the NFL Browns of 1964.

"To bring a championship anywhere is a special thing, and for me being back home, that's been my goal," said James, 30. "We were two games away from doing it last year. That gives us no entitlement this year, so we've got to work our tail off to try to get back there and put ourselves in position to try to win it. When we're whole, we will be better than we were last year."

Cavs coach David Blatt sees a more comfortable James now that the 6-8 forward is past the first season of his Cleveland sequel.

"He's such a mature player and such a knowledgeable player," Blatt said. "He's just the greatest player in the game."

The Cavs' second-year coach also sees the game's greatest player as more than just a blur of impressive stats.

"He's just got that ability to see things and incorporate them into his 'computer' and come out knowing what to do," Blatt said. "He's a very unusual intellect when it comes to the game of basketball."