2-9 Cleveland 103 Miami 79

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Cleveland 103 Miami 79

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The Miami Heat wanted to get back to .500 by the All-Star break, and now they're
one win away from achieving their goal.

The defending champions look to extend their season-high five-game winning streak Friday when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Heat (24-25) surpassed their previous high of four straight wins with Wednesday's 91-79 victory over the slumping Boston Celtics. Dwyane Wade had 30 points and nine assists for Miami, which has not been at .500 since it was 3-3 on Nov. 12.

"Going into the All-Star break we either wanted to be at .500 or one or two over," said Shaquille O'Neal, who had nine points, four rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes. "So, we know what we have to do.

NBA

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CLEVELAND, Feb. 9 (AP) -- With a straight face, LeBron James insisted he wasn't trying to prove a point or silence any critics. That's not how it looked, though.

James ended a mini-scoring slump with 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers did a better job containing Miami's Dwyane Wade on Friday night in a 103-79 victory, snapping the Heat's five-game winning streak.

NBA

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LeBron James had fun again. The alley- oop passes, dunks and fast breaks that early in the week he said were missing returned in resounding fashion Friday night.

"This was definitely the kind of fun I was talking about," James said. "I love getting the ball up and down the court, getting some opportunities to get up some shots early in the shot clock. Larry [Hughes] loves that kind of basketball, and it has shown because he has benefited from us getting up and down the court a little more."

The revved-up tempo, along with another solid defensive effort, gave the Cavaliers a reassuring 103-79 victory over the Miami Heat at The Q.

cleveland.com: Everything Cleveland

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Photo Gallery

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The last time he did anything like this, it was against the Phoenix Suns, who play so fast that points are cheap. LeBron James threw down a windmilling ka-boom of a dunk while Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa ducked and covered, like a maneuver out of an old A-bomb drill.

Friday night, James drove the lane late in the third quarter on Miami's Alonzo Mourning, who is not Leandro Barbosa and who, in fact, considers such behavior an insult to himself and his kin. Uneasy had lain the head that wears the crown the last few games, but this time the prodigy known as King James really was his highness.

James flew to the rim and walloped the net with the ball with his right hand while the left arm of Mourning walloped him in the nose. All 6-8 and 250 pounds of James slammed to the floor, leaving him dazed.

cleveland.com: Everything Cleveland

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CLEVELAND - Call off the search for LeBron James.

The toe-throbbing, sometimes lethargic, jump-shooting Cavaliers star disappeared Friday night. Emerging was the fiery, attacking, chest-thumping Most Valuable Player candidate.

Not coincidentally, his teammates adopted the same persona in an emotional 103-79 thrashing of the Miami Heat.

Beacon Journal | 02/10/2007 | LeBron found, Cavs win

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Photo Gallery

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CLEVELAND - The Heat is the team in need of a second-half surge, and yet for the second straight game, it was the opposition that displayed the effort of a desperate team.

Against the undermanned Celtics on Wednesday, the Heat was able to leave Boston with a victory. Against the Cavaliers, however, the lackluster approach resulted in a 103-79 loss, ending the Heat's season-long five-game winning streak and keeping the team from reaching .500 for at least another couple games.

MiamiHerald.com | 02/10/2007 | Heat sluggish in loss to Cavs

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CLEVELAND - LeBron James ended a mini-scoring slump with 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers did a better job containing Miami's Dwyane Wade on Friday night in a 103-79 victory, snapping the Heat's five-game winning streak.

James had averaged just 17.7 points -- almost nine under his average -- in the past four games. But going head-to-head against his good friend Wade brought out the best in James, who scored 16 points after halftime and added seven rebounds and six assists.

MiamiHerald.com | 02/09/2007 | LeBron, Cavaliers throttle Heat 103-79

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CLEVELAND · When the Heat was outscored 19-0 on second-chance points Wednesday in Boston, it shrugged it off as an anomaly in a 12-point victory.

But Friday, as the Cavaliers relentlessly attacked the offensive boards, it was apparent that hustle does matter, enough to snap a Heat five-game winning streak in what turned into a 103-79 loss to the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Heat lacks hustle: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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PHOTO GALLERY: Cavs 103, Heat 79 - South Florida Sun-Sentinel