James, Cavs rout Magic

They haven’t returned to that form yet, but there’s still plenty of time.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) makes a shot over Orlando Magic forward Channing Frye, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, in Orlando, Fla.

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been healthy all season with injuries to Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert.

This season, James has averaged 37.1 minutes per game while leading the Cavaliers to a 14-7 record and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Whenever a guy had it going, we fed him. “We’ve had lulls or progressions where we haven’t necessarily played like we’re capable of, so we did need a game like this, but we need to string together a couple of these in a row and not have any setbacks, keep making the progress in the right direction as an entire team”. That’s a long time from now, and considering that LeBron started the year admitting to fatigue and seemingly asking for a measured set of minutes this season, it seems reasonable that James would take in the occasional 31-minute game.

James’ initial deal with Nike came shortly before he entered the draft in 2003, skipping college to turn professional, worth $90m (£59.7m) over a seven-year period.

“It’s the second time it’s happened this year and it’s not a great feeling”, James said.

“Like I said about the altitude the other night (in Denver), I’ve been around teams affected by (the first night home following a long trip) and others that we’re affected by it at all, ” Magic coach Scott Skiles said.

The game got out of hand in the third quarter when the Cavs scored 19 consecutive points while the Magic went scoreless for six minutes, turning a 13-point lead into a 30-point laugher.

Only in the second half, and more often the fourth quarter, have they finally shaken loose from their lethargy and played high-level basketball.

Shumpert, who played with an outline of “90” shaved into the back of his head in honor of his birth year, said he was comfortable all night.

The Cavaliers were looking real shaky after three straight losses but they were able to stop the rot with a hard-fought 105-100 win over the Trailblazers on Tuesday. “I feel good. I could have played some more”.

And he isn’t tiring as the game progresses either, as he leads the National Basketball Association in points scored in the fourth quarter, according to Vardon. It was the largest athlete contract at the time-and now he has signed Nike’s first-ever lifetime contract.

The idea was for James to drop that number even lower to perhaps 34 minutes per game.

Four of James’ eight assists resulted in 3-pointers.

In the same blowout victory that produced James’s blown gasket, Blatt reiterated both men’s complaint that the team plays in bursts with intermittent intensity like a radio signal that goes in and out. A few possessions later, he posted up the rookie and slid under him for another basket. He’s done his part, at 26.5 points per game with a combined 13.4 rebounds/assists and combined two blocks/steals per game.

The Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in baseball this season despite playing without two of their most important players and that could give the team a shot of confidence once Shumpert and Irving return.

In 2014 LeBron James had to sit out the crucial minutes of what, up to that point, had been the biggest game of his career due to severe cramping. The Magic held a moment of silence before tip-off for Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, who died at age 87 on Thursday.