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Other than letting his friend, rapper and New Jersey Nets minority owner Jay-Z, make a disrespectful song directed at DeShawn Stevenson, LeBron James hasn't engaged in much trash talk with the Washington Wizards during this best-of-seven series.His only comment that could be interpreted as bulletin board material came after his Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-1 lead on Sunday. James was asked if the Wizards had any chance of coming back to win, and he answered, "No."

The Cavaliers are one victory from ending the Wizards' season for the third year in a row with Game 5 set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena. James, who is averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists this series, is confident that it is not a matter of if but when Cleveland will eliminate the Wizards.

"It has nothing to do with the Wizards. They are a good team, but they've got to beat us three straight games, and I don't see that happening," James said on Tuesday. "I'm held accountable for our team's actions and I'm going to make sure our team maintains focus throughout this next game, and if it has to go beyond that. But I just don't see it happening."

James is 4-3 when the Cavs could close out an opponent the past two seasons, but he has never hesitated to eliminate the Wizards at the first opportunity, winning both times at Verizon Center. Two years ago, James tapped Gilbert Arenas on the foul line and told him he was going home if he missed the free throws. Arenas missed both and Damon Jones hit the game-winning jumper with 4.8 seconds left of a 114-113 overtime victory. Last year, James let Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes score 18 of the Cavaliers' final 20 points in a 97-90 victory.

The Cavaliers have some extra incentive to finish off Washington on Wednesday, with the winner of this series getting the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics series, which is tied 2-2. "We have one more game to try to close these guys out and if not, get ready for a Game 6," James said. "We have to take care of our business and not worry about who's next after that."

The last time the Cavaliers held a 3-1 lead in the playoffs, they went home to Cleveland a year ago and had their worst postseason performance at Quicken Loans Arena in the James era, as the Nets beat them, 83-72.

James said he also wouldn't let the Wizards distract him with words or hard fouls. He nearly lost control of his temper in Game 1, when he was initially thrown off by the Wizards' physical play. He reacted to Andray Blatche slapping him in the mouth on a drive by popping Blatche with an elbow to the chin the next time they crossed paths. Although he wasn't penalized during the game, the league office assessed him with a flagrant-one foul before the next game.

Since then, James has kept his cool, even as the Wizards continued to knock him to the ground. Wizards center Brendan Haywood was ejected in Game 2 after sending him soaring into the photographers along the baseline. Haywood also mocked James for complaining about the physical contact and suggesting that Wizards are trying to hurt him.

"It happens in playground basketball, but it usually stops after the first hit because it can get really serious," James said. "It's part of basketball, I guess. It's happened more times than it should.

"I wasn't coming into the playoffs thinking I was going to be nick-free or not getting touched at all. But I'm built for it," James said. "It's obvious that [the Wizards] want to get me unfocused. That can't happen and it won't happen."

Stevenson has been getting under James's skin ever since he called him "overrated" in March. In the second quarter of Game 4, the two nearly came to blows after Stevenson picked up a flagrant foul when he clubbed James in the head with his elbow, knocking off James's headband and sending him sprawling.

James shot up and approached Stevenson but did nothing more than walk away after they were separated. He added that it would've escalated had the incident occurred when James was a kid playing at Elizabeth Park in Akron.

"I don't fight," James said. "That's so grade school. I stopped fighting a long time ago. I don't need to fight anymore. I can't afford to get kicked out of a game or say something that may stir something where I get fined. I mean too much to my team to allow guys to hard foul me or say something where I could get kicked out."

Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown praised James for keeping his composure through the physical play and the hostile environment in Washington, where James was greeted with boos every time he touched the ball and heard "overrated" on more than one occasion.

"It takes a special human being to keep your poise with all that has gone on," Brown said.

James was asked if the league and its officials have done a good job of policing this series. "I'm not the guy to ask," he said. "I'm just an employee of the NBA, not the boss."

So far, this series has included six technical fouls, three flagrant-one fouls, one flagrant-two foul, one ejection, a $25,000 fine for a "menacing gesture" by Stevenson and a hip-hop feud. "It's getting real commercial," James said. "Hopefully we can close them out so I can give you some more insight about what I think has been happening this series."

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 9 (AP) -- Four years after LeBron James made his NBA debut in Arco Arena, he can perform much greater feats with a whole lot less effort.

Back in 2003, the teenage phenom put in a full night of relentless effort in an outstanding first outing. These days, the King of the Eastern Conference can take most of the night off and still flatten the Sacramento Kings.

James rallied the Cavaliers with eight points on a series of dynamic moves in the final 2:57, and Cleveland hung on for a 93-91 victory Friday night.

James finished with 26 points despite seeming to sit back and watch much of the Cavs' fourth game in six nights. He scored just seven points in the first half, and was passive for much of the second until rising up for his late flurry, capped by a beautiful three-point play with 53 seconds left.

"You've just got to seize the moment,'' James said. "For the first three quarters, I didn't force anything. I like to just take what the offense gives me, and I make plays happen. In the fourth, I was able to get some rebounds and force the issue more, and it turned into good things. The team did a great job feeding off me.''

That strategy might not fly in the postseason, but it worked just fine in a November matchup with the scrappy Kings.

Devin Brown had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who treaded dangerously close to a surprising upset loss until James perked up in the fourth stop of a six-game road trip.

But the defending NBA finalists weren't safe until Kevin Martin missed a long jumper at the buzzer. Martin, who had 32 points while making 17 free throws for the Kings, couldn't draw a foul 2 seconds earlier despite apparent contact from Cleveland's Drew Gooden.

"Obviously, not a person in the building didn't think he got fouled,'' Sacramento coach Reggie Theus said. "They had been calling that foul all game. It looked like a foul to me.''

John Salmons and Francisco Garcia each scored 18 points for the 1-4 Kings, who won their home opener Tuesday night despite failing to sell out Arco Arena for the first time since 1999. Another non-sellout crowd still was loud for the return of James, who formally joined the NBA here on Oct. 29, 2003, with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

"We contained him as well as we could,'' Salmons said of James. "But he made some plays down the stretch. That's what he's going to do.''

Brown provided the Cavs' only consistent effort, rebounding aggressively and playing tough defense. After showing up to training camp overweight and only getting playing time because of Larry Hughes' bruised knee, Brown finally feels good about his first season with Cleveland.

"I wasn't playing hard, and wasn't doing anything to help the team,'' Brown said of his recent efforts. "I worked tonight and kept working to get shots, just letting my teammates know I'm ready.''

After trailing for nearly every minute of their first four games, the Kings took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Martin's dunk on a 70-foot football pass from Brad Miller put Sacramento up 78-76 with 6:52 to play.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds, tied it with a putback on an offensive rebound with 2:08 left. James then put the Cavs ahead 88-86 by grabbing a rebound and sprinting past three Kings for a two-handed dunk.

James hit a jumper and a three-point play on the Cavaliers' next two possessions to put them up 93-88, but Salmons converted a three-point play before Damon Jones missed a jumper to give Sacramento one last shot.

After Gooden appeared to foul Martin while the ball went out of bounds, Martin couldn't hit a tough shot from the sideline. Cleveland celebrated while leaving the court in its third straight win over the Kings.

"John defended (James) better than I've ever seen him defended,'' said Martin, who declined to speculate whether he was fouled. "He was in his pocket the whole game.''

The Cavs played their third straight game without Hughes. Veterans Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Eric Snow (sprained left knee) still are inactive, and rookie forward Demetris Nichols didn't dress because of back spasms.

Cleveland won't get any sympathy from the Kings, who still are without their two best players. Guard Mike Bibby is out until at least mid-December with a thumb injury, while forward Ron Artest served the fifth game of his seven-game suspension.

Notes: Martin made his first 10 free throws, finishing 17-of-18. ... Raiders WR Jerry Porter attended the game. ... Sacramento played the first of an NBA rarity: back-to-back home games on consecutive days. The Kings host Minnesota on Saturday night.

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In the DETROIT FREE PRESS, Brian Windhorst writes, "It has been reported by several media outlets that free-agent forward Chris Webber would only consider his hometown Detroit Pistons. According to a source close to Webber, though, he would also consider signing with the Cavs if the role was right. The Cavs are depleted in the frontcourt with Anderson Varejao holding out and with Donyell Marshall out with injury. The Cavs have also had some contact with free-agent forward Dale Davis, but currently there are no serious discussions, agent Chubby Wells said."

Kevin Durant shot miserably from the field last night in the Sonics’ fourth loss in a row. How much more should the ’rook be doing to help the Sonics win? What’s up when Shaq lets Francisco Elson run the show under the glass? Could it be time for Shaq to step away from the game? Who said Sam Cassell’s tank was empty? He’ll bring the Clips back to the brink of an NBA finals again this season. An all C’s NBA final, Clippers and Celtics...Will Boston even lose this season? How about Kobe buying Jordan’s old house in Chicago, is Bryant preparing his family for a move? Click above for more of today’s NBA buzz.

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SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 7 (AP) -- After helping his teammates handle most of the scoring with 12 assists, Deron Williams decided to keep it for himself at the end.

Williams drove the length of the floor for a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining Wednesday night to give the Utah Jazz a 103-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, overcoming LeBron James' triple-double and tying 3-pointer just seconds before.

James, who had a triple-double before the end of the third quarter, tied it with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6 seconds left to play. But before the Cavs could revel in the comeback, Williams was off and running toward the other end and the game-winner.

"We just get it and go. We find that works for us,'' said Williams, who finished with 15 points. "I think they felt we were going to call a timeout. They're looking back to see what we're doing and while they're doing that we're racing up the court.''

Williams got around Zydrunas Ilgauskas, scooped the ball under the rim and laid it in for the Jazz, who left the door open for James to make it a thrilling finish.

James scored the final seven points for the Cavs and finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists - his 11th career triple-double. But he and the rest of the Cavs were caught by surprise by Williams' mad dash at the end.

"Great move. We expected him to call a timeout. But I should have known,'' James said. "Great play. Nothing we could do.''

Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Paul Millsap scored a career-high 24 points for the Jazz as the held off the Cavaliers, who had played the night before and were without three regulars.

Cleveland trailed by as much as nine but never let the Jazz pull away down the stretch. With Utah leading 99-94, James drove for a layup that also got Millsap out of the game with his sixth foul. James missed the free throw that would have converted the three-point play, but the Cavs got a break when the rebound bounced straight to Ilgauskas, and Cleveland called timeout with 17 seconds left.

Rather than go for the tying 3-pointer, James drove for a layup that cut the lead to 99-98.

Cleveland had to foul and Utah's Ronnie Brewer made it a three-point game with two free throws with 9 seconds to play. But that was plenty of time for James, who hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie it three seconds later.

"I tried to call timeout,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Fortunately we got it inbounds and he knew what to do with it.''

Damon Jones' desperation shot at the end was way off and the Jazz had survived a game they nearly blew.

The Jazz left themselves vulnerable for a comeback by struggling at the line in the fourth quarter. After making 26 of their first 27, the Jazz cooled off and missed five of their final 13, giving James just enough room for a comeback.

"LeBron gets a triple-double like that and you hope to come away with the win, but not tonight,'' Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "Our guys could have caved here a couple of times, but our guys kept fighting and fighting.''

The Cavs got 18 points and 14 rebounds from Ilgauskas, 17 points from Sasha Pavlovic and 12 points from Daniel Gibson. The Cleveland reserves were no help, scoring a combined 14 points.

Mehmet Okur had 10 rebounds and Matt Harpring scored 10 points for the Jazz.

Notes: First-round draft pick Morris Almond made his NBA debut late in the first quarter when he entered the game as a sub for Gordan Giricek. Almond had been inactive for the first four games. ... Jones made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Utah's lead to 29-26 at the end of the first quarter. ... Millsap's previous high for points was 20 against the Raptors last November. ... The Cavs were without G Larry Hughes (knee), F Donyell Marshall (wrist) and G Eric Snow (knee).

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 6 (AP) -- The water-saturated stat sheet floated between LeBron James' shins as he soaked his feet in the ice bath. Lifting one swollen eyelid, he could just make out his numbers: 24 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and three big blocked shots.

Yet the most eye-popping parts of James' all-out effort in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night weren't reflected in that soggy box score.

For starters, James took an accidental blow to the face in the first quarter, but barely missed 90 seconds before returning. He barked orders at his teammates with authority, and he demanded a fourth-quarter defensive assignment on Baron Davis.

And when the Warriors triple-teamed him with the game on the line, James got what coach Mike Brown termed "the big hockey assist,'' making the pass that led to the pass that set up the shot that won it for Cleveland.

James already has a place among the NBA's elite, yet he's still growing - and his latest sublime performance was a sight for a sore eye.

"It bothered me some, and it's bothering me now, but I had to be there for my teammates,'' said James, who fell just shy of his 11th career triple-double. "If I could barely see, I still had to be out there.''

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the short-handed Eastern Conference champions, who kept the Warriors winless with a calm finish on their third victory in their last four trips to Golden State.

Cleveland went up 103-98 with 1:03 left after Damon Jones' 3-pointer and Ilgauskas' free throws, but Golden State trimmed the lead to one point on Davis' free throws and Andris Biedrins' hook shot.

James drew three defenders on the Cavs' next possession. He passed to Ilgauskas, who quickly rotated the ball to Daniel Gibson - and the playoff hero's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left sealed Cleveland's second win of the season. Gibson finished with 22 points.

"That's the way I envision our team eventually playing every day,'' Brown said. "Our guys did a great job driving and kicking the basketball. ... I take my hat off to our guys. It was absolutely fun basketball down the stretch.''

Davis, who sat out both of the Cavaliers' last two visits to Oakland because of suspensions, had 29 points and 10 assists. Monta Ellis scored 22 points and Al Harrington added 19 for the Warriors, who fell to 0-4 in their tough early season schedule without suspended swingman Stephen Jackson.

"I felt we were playing good basketball, and at one point we had the game under control,'' Davis said. "Then we had a couple of bad breaks defensively. It's a tough loss, but it was a great NBA game. We're young, and we keep trying to figure it out. (James) dominated the game. He's a great player.''

The Cavaliers played without guard Larry Hughes, who bruised his left knee in a collision with Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa on Sunday in the opening game of their six-stop road trip. Sasha Pavlovic scored just six points on 2-of-11 shooting in Hughes' starting spot, and only seven players scored for the Cavs.

"It's a challenge for me, but I'm trying to do more things in my game,'' James said. "We're not as deep as they are, but we're experienced, and we know how to play basketball.''

James left the court after Biedrins accidentally hit him in the face while reaching for a rebound. James walked gingerly to the locker room with a towel over his left eye, but returned moments later.

This wasn't James' first big night in Oakland. He got the second triple-double of his career against the Warriors nearly three years ago - a feat that occurred just three nights after he became the youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double.

Davis and James dueled down the stretch this time, with James sometimes guarding the Warriors' smaller star when Golden State had the ball. James made his biggest defensive plays on Golden State's fast breaks, roaring from behind to swat away layup attempts three times.

"The key plays were the three blocks by James in the open court,'' Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "All three blocks were sensational, just phenomenal. ... We played our best game of the year. We had a chance to win.''

Ellis scored 14 points in the second quarter as the Warriors erased Cleveland's 10-point lead. Golden State closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run, taking the lead entering the fourth on Ellis' buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Notes: Cleveland also played without F Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and G Eric Snow (sprained left knee). ... Harrington dunked on James in the third quarter, earning a standing ovation from the Oakland crowd. ... Ellis, who made just 27 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, was 3-for-4 after missing every 3-pointer he shot in the Warriors' first three games.

In the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, Branson Wright writes “Larry Hughes sat out Monday's practice because of a lower left leg contusion that he suffered in Sunday's loss in Phoenix. Hughes was injured when he banged knees with Suns guard Leandro Barbosa. Hughes experienced some minor swelling but said the contusion is nothing major. Most likely, Hughes will see limited action tonight against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, but his leg is not the only thing Hughes needs to fix.”

PHOENIX, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Steve Nash scored 30 points and had 10 assists and the Phoenix Suns - playing without Amare Stoudemire - rallied from a 12-point second-quarter deficit and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-92 on Sunday night.

Stoudemire, the Suns' All-Star center, was sidelined because of soreness in his right knee. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee Oct. 2. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire was day to day.

Despite Stoudemire's absence, the resilient Suns were able to overcome the Cavs and LeBron James.

Shawn Marion had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns. Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points, and Boris Diaw, who started in place of Stoudemire scored 16. Nash had 22 points in the second half.

James scored 27 points, 21 in the second half, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden each scored 22. Gooden had 14 rebounds and Ilgauskas 13.

The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, who was being guarded by the 6-8 Diaw or 6-9 Brian Skinner, dominated the first half, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds en route to the 150th double-double of his career.

Gooden, also enjoying a two-inch height advantage over Grant Hill, chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Cavaliers to a 45-38 halftime advantage over the cold-shooting Suns. At one point, the Cavaliers led 39-27.

With their huge height advantage, the Cavaliers enjoyed a 35-17 rebounding edge in the first two periods. They also had a 12-1 bulge in second-chance points and a 30-18 margin in points in the paint.

While Ilgauskas and Gooden were manhandling the short-handed and ailing Suns, James didn't join in the fun much. Coming off a 45-point effort against the New York Knicks on Friday night, he was held to six points on 3-of-12 shooting in the half.

Marion was the only bright spot for the Suns, scoring 13 points, including Phoenix's only two 3-pointers.

The rejuvenated Suns picked up the pace in the third period and took a 69-64 lead into the fourth quarter. Nash ignited the comeback with a 3-pointer and finished with 10 points in the period. Phoenix went ahead for good 55-53 on a turnaround bank shot by Diaw.

James also got rolling in the quarter, scoring 11 points, including a tomahawk dunk, but didn't get much help from his teammates and the Cavaliers were outscored 31-19. Nash made sure the Suns didn't lose the lead in the fourth period, scoring 12 points.

Notes: Jerry Colangelo, the founder of the Suns, was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime. ... This was the start of a six-game Western road trip for the Cavaliers. ... The Suns now will go on a four-game Eastern road swing. ... Sasha Pavlovic suited up for the first time this season for Cleveland, after ending his contract holdout. ... Anderson Varejao still has not played for the Cavs because of a contract dispute. ... Cleveland also was missing two other key reserves, both with injuries - Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Eric Snow (sprained left knee).

Cleveland 110, New York 106

CLEVELAND, Nov. 2 (AP) -- Isiah Thomas was having scary flashbacks. As Cleveland's star drove the lane, found open teammates and basically took over, New York's coach could only think of one other player.

LeBron James looked just like Mike.

Jordan, that is.

"He was as good as that other No. 23 I played against,'' Thomas said. "He was exceptional. He wasn't going to let his team lose.''

James scored 45 points and Daniel Gibson made four 3-pointers - three off passes from James - in just over two minutes in the fourth quarter to rally the Cavaliers past the Knicks 110-106 on Friday night.

Playing with more energy, James bounced back from a 10-point performance in a season-opening loss to Dallas by scoring the most points ever by a Cleveland player against New York. World B. Free dropped 39 on the Knicks in 1984.

After looking unworthy of calling themselves defending Eastern Conference champions against the Mavericks, the Cavaliers got big plays from James, big shots from Gibson and a big win before embarking on a tough, six-game road trip out West.

Gibson, Cleveland's shooting star in last season's playoffs, finished with six 3-pointers and 24 points. He made four 3s in a span of 2:17 of the fourth, when the Cavaliers turned a three-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

"When he's that open, it's almost like a practice shot,'' James said.

Three of Gibson's 3-pointers came off assists by James, who drew double- and triple-teams before finding his sweet-shooting sidekick.

"That's the thing about LeBron that everybody loves,'' Gibson said. "He had 45 but he's still finding his teammates and getting everybody involved.''

Drew Gooden added 14 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 rebounds for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers trailed 86-83 when Gibson, sporting a haircut with a star shaved into his head, began hitting 3s. It was almost a replay of Game 6 in last season's conference finals, when he buried Detroit by scoring 19 points in the fourth to send the Cavs into the NBA finals for the first time.

The Knicks never recovered.

"It was very fast,'' Jamal Crawford said. "That gave them some life. It got away from us.''

Crawford scored 25 points and Zach Randolph had 21 points and 14 rebounds in his debut with the Knicks, who were finally playing a meaningful game following a turbulent offseason that included a jury finding Thomas and Madison Square Garden had sexually harassed a former team executive.

The Knicks had built their lead by pounding the ball inside to Randolph and Eddy Curry, who finished with 18 points. Curry, though, missed five free throws and the Knicks went 14-of-23 from the line.

Nate Robinson added 19 points for New York.

"Overall, I was pleased with our effort,'' Thomas said. "We had to do a better job at the foul line. If we could do a better job from the foul line, it's a different ballgame. In a six-point basketball game, it's the little things that beat you.''

With the Cavs in jeopardy of falling to 0-2, James and Gibson teamed up to turn things around, combining to score 20 straight points in the fourth.

Gibson's 3-pointer tied it 86-all, and James converted a three-point play before Gibson's second straight 3 made it 92-87. After Stephon Marbury countered with a 3 for New York, Gibson floated into the corner as James drew a double-team.

Gibson found an open spot, caught a soft pass from James and dropped in his third 3-pointer in less than two minutes to put Cleveland up 95-90.

Following a turnover by New York, Gibson came down and knocked down his fourth straight 3, a shot that had Cavaliers fans thinking about last spring's memorable night when Cleveland clinched the East at home.

"LeBron will get guys open shots,'' Robinson said. "You have to pray they miss them, but Gibson didn't.''

Less than an hour before tipoff, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown summoned James to his office for a talk. If Brown's message was to be more assertive, Cleveland's superstar listened and then went right at the Knicks.

He scored 23 points in the first half as he continually pushed the ball toward the basket or posted up his defenders.

"I didn't think I played Wednesday night with the energy I needed to play with,'' James said. "The guys feed off me.''

Notes: It was James' 18th career game of 40 points or more. ... Like everyone, James has been keeping an eye on the unfolding Kobe Bryant drama. Part of James wouldn't mind if Bryant ended up in the East. "As a competitor, I would love to play against Kobe Bryant four times a year,'' he said. "As a fan, it's almost like when Mike (Jordan) played for the Wizards. You really can't see Kobe playing for anyone but the Lakers.'' ... The Knicks are 36-26 in openers. ... Cavs F/G Sasha Pavlovic ended his holdout and signed a three-year contract extension on Wednesday, but the Serbia native wasn't able to play until he sorted through immigration red tape. He got his U.S. visa on Friday and is expected to practice Saturday.