LeBron scores 35 of his 47 in first half as Cavs top Knicks

CLEVELAND - For a half, the Knicks saw how overmatched they - and most of the other teams in the NBA - can be against the Cavaliers with LeBron James. Then they saw how even things get when James is removed from the equation. At least temporarily.

James scored 47 points, including six straight in the final 2:56 after the Knicks cut a 24-point deficit to three, as the Cavs beat the Knicks, 113-106, last night at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Knicks trailed by 23 as late as the third quarter, but James, who had 35 points in the first half, went cold and started to defer to his teammates. They couldn't pick up the slack as the Knicks mounted a comeback.

James scored 24 straight Cavaliers points in a span of 5:29 as Cleveland turned a 28-21 lead into a 52-31 advantage. He shot 10-for-11 in that run. He had 23 points in the first quarter, including four three-pointers in the final 1:56 of the period.

Shaquille O'Neal told James during the game that he should go for 60, but James, who had 52 points against the Knicks last season, said gunning is not his style. That's what separates him from the league's other MVP candidate, Kobe Bryant.

"I could go out there and take shots and take shots and continue to make them," James said. "Most of the shots I took tonight were against one-on-one defense. As soon as the double-team comes, I give the ball up. As soon as I see somebody open, I give the ball up."

James led the way as the Cavs scored 44 points in the first quarter, the most the Knicks have given up in a quarter this season. His 35 points was a franchise record for points in a half.

"The thing was to try and keep a hand in his face and hope he misses some," Mike D'Antoni said. "My God, he didn't even come close to missing."

The rest of his supporting cast - the Cavs are without starting guards Delonte West and Mo Williams - had 66 points, with 19 from Shaq, who also had three blocked shots. One of them was against Nate Robinson, who on the very next possession came over and swatted O'Neal's turnaround jumper out of bounds. Add Shaq to the 5-9 Robinson's list of colossal bigs that he's blocked. He got Yao Ming three seasons ago. "I was fouled," O'Neal said, "and you know it."

Robinson scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half for the Knicks, who moved within 107-104 when he scurried to grab an offensive rebound and scored with 3:50 left. Jordan Hill's jump hook made it 109-106 with 2:19 to play, but that was as close as the Knicks (19-31) would get. James hit two jumpers and two free throws down the stretch to keep the Cavaliers ahead.

D'Antoni preferred to focus on the rally rather than the fact that the Knicks had to fall behind by 23 before they played with any energy. "We have the ability to scrap and fight," he said. "For some reason, we lose that."

It was the 11th straight win for the Cavaliers, who own the NBA's best record at 41-11. It also was their seventh straight over the Knicks, who haven't beaten them since Dec. 19, 2007.

The teams play once more this season, March 1 in Cleveland, and the Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - hope it's the last time they ever have to play against King James. After that game, there will be 122 days until the most intense free-agent recruitment effort in NBA history.

Hill played the entire fourth quarter in place of David Lee (20 points, eight rebounds, five turnovers), whose ailing knee made him look slow at the defensive end. D'Antoni also played Robinson with Chris Duhon in a backcourt tandem that could become the latest new wrinkle for the Knicks.