LeBron James 36 points vs Dwyane Wade February 4 2010
CLEVELAND — LeBron James was willing to do anything necessary to beat close friend Dwyane Wade. Even if it meant filling in at point guard. Forced to start in the backcourt, James scored 36 points — 17 on free throws — and Daniel Gibson added 12 in the second half after rushing back from the hospital as the Cleveland Cavaliers ran their winning streak to 10 with a 102-86 win over Wade and the Miami Heat on Thursday night. James ran Cleveland’s offense in place of Gibson, who had been starting while Mo Williams and Delonte West recover from injuries. In attack mode from the start, James added eight assists, and seven rebounds. The anticipated one-on-one showdown between him and Wade never materialized as the Cavs controlled the game and attempted 36 free throws to 14 for Miami. “This team is just better than us,” said Wade, flattened twice by run-ins with Shaquille O’Neal. “You have to be realistic. I understand this team has NBA championship aspirations. We don’t have that. We’re focusing on trying to get to the playoffs and this team is trying to get to the championship. It’s totally different.” Wade finished with 24 points on 11-of-26 shooting and Michael Beasley had 21 as the Heat dropped their four straight and sixth in seven games. The last time James and Wade hooked up on Jan. 12, they scored a combined 70 points in an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better matchup. Both provided their usual jaw-dropping plays again, but James was able to improve to 13-9 against …
