LeBron scores 52 as Cavs beat Knicks at MSG

The New York Knicks have played the NBA’s best teams tough this week, but unfortunately their superstars have used the Madison Square Garden stage to turn in career performances.  First it was Kobe Bryant, who went for 61 points on Monday in a hard fought win for his LA Lakers.  More recently, it was LeBron James who scored 52 points and posted a triple double against the Knicks on Wednesday night as his Cavs held on for a 107-102 victory.

So all the Knicks get for two decent showing against two of the league’s elite is the ignominy of being the first team since 1962 when Elgin Baylor did it to the San Francisco Warriors in two straight.   They also allowed the most points in a triple double since the 1976 NBA-ABA merger, as LeBron posted 10 rebounds and 11 assists to go with his 52 point outburst.  After the game, LeBron noted that he’s not a guy who looks to run up his scoring numbers:

"I don't go out there for the numbers, I just play my game. You guys seen every phase of my game tonight, the scoring, the rebounding, the assists and defensively just trying to attack the opposing team. I never thought you could look at the box score and see somebody with 50 with a triple-double, but it's happened."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 15 points while Wally Szczerbiak filled in for flu sufferer Sasha Pavlovic admirably once again, posting a “double double” of his own with 12 points and 13 rebounds.  Daniel Gibson also scored 11 off the bench for the Cavs who ran their record to 39-9 in advance of a Sunday afternoon visit from the West leading Los Angeles Lakers.

Lost amid the hoopla surrounding LeBron’s 52 points was an impressive showing by the Knicks Al Harrington, who led his team with 39 points and 13 rebounds.  David Lee also added a “double/double” for New York with 12 points and 10 boards and Nate Robinson scored 11 off the bench.  After the game, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni could do little more than put the back-to-back superstar showcases into perspective:

"The sad thing is that I'm sure LeBron said that it's no big deal to get 61 points.  I'll just get a triple-double. [Kobe] didn't do that."

Now Kobe and LeBron will get to meet each other face to face as the Lakers become the latest team to challenge the Cavs spotless record at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena this Sunday.  They’ll head to Indiana on Tuesday for a game against the Pacers before returning home against another Western Conference challenger in the Phoenix Suns.  The Knicks brutal scheduling streak continues on Friday, as they host the NBA champion Boston Celtics before flying cross country for another tough game against the Portland Trailblazers in the “Rose City” on Sunday.  They’ll then head down the coast for a Tuesday night game against the Golden State Warriors.