Photo: Tracy Boulian/Cleveland.com

In a game that had no shortage of storylines, the always-thrilling LeBron James and Dwyane Wade showdown featured an unexpected wrinkle when Daniel Gibson had to rush to the hospital to be with his expecting girlfriend Keyshia Cole. It forced LeBron into his first start at point guard since his rookie year and brought about Jawad Williams's first career start. It didn't matter, though, as the Cavaliers dispatched of the Heat to stretch their win streak to a season-high 10, improve to 7-0 without Mo Williams, and set the scoreboard at "LeBron 13, D-Wade 9" in the classic matchup.

Last minute scratch: With Gibson taking care of his girlfriend at the hospital, the Cavaliers were suddenly without a single proven point guard on their roster. On a side note, Gibson's girlfriend is due with their child on March 2nd, and she is doing fine after having false labor. LeBron was the only real choice to start at point, and Jawad got the call to take LBJ's spot at small forward. With LeBron on the bench, Anthony Parker had to handle the point guard duties for a five minute stretch in the second quarter. The Cavalier depth has certainly been tested over these past several games, but they have held strong largely due to the advanced responsibilities of James, J.J. Hickson, Gibson, and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Human Highlight Reel: Speaking of Hickson, did he have a night to remember! If you just looked at the boxscore following the game, you would see a pretty solid performance for J.J. with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes, but you would be missing the headlines. Hickson made four absolutely fantastic plays tonight which gave the Cavaliers giant momentum boosts, two of which belong on the Sportscenter top ten no doubt. First, there was J.J.'s breakaway steal and dunk... over the top of Dwyane Wade in a play that maybe in part made up for Wade's demolition of Anderson Varejao in the first contest.  Next, J.J. finished a high-flying alley-oop from LeBron and made a stunning spin move on Jermaine O'Neal for another dunk. Finally, J.J. returned the favor on the end to Wade, sending D-Wade away empty-handed at the rim in another ridiculously awesome highlight. These are the plays that make J.J. Hickson so difficult for the Cavs to discuss in trade scenarios. At times, you feel like he is nearing his ceiling, and then there are games where you feel like he can still elevate his game so much more. J.J. will continue to be unpredictable for the foreseeable future, whether in wine and gold or not.

Lots of TOs and checkout woes: The Cavaliers certainly looked like a team without a point guard in the first quarter, turning it over on 3 straight trips and 5 times in the first. They also looked like a team without a purpose on the defensive boards. Joel Anthony was a one-man offensive-rebounding wrecking crew in the early going. The Heat's backup center grabbed five on the offensive glass in the first, finishing with 8 points and 8 rebounds (6 offensive). Miami had 15 offensive rebounds in all, but 7 of those came in quarter number one.

March to the line: Last week when these two took each other on, it was Dwyane Wade who got foul calls by the boatload. This time, it was LeBron that was the aggressor, and he got the benefit of the doubt on a couple of calls. Now, I'm sure if I blogged about the Heat, I would be going blue in the face about the plethora of calls that LBJ was getting. But, I'm not, so I'm going to focus on the Cavaliers doing a better job of defending the paint, stringing Wade out on the perimeter, and forcing him to either shoot a jumpshot or give up the ball. Meanwhile, LeBron set the tone early and relentlessly drove the lane drawing foul after foul. James shot more foul shots than the entire Miami team, hitting 17-of-21. The Cavaliers led the Heat in free throw attempts a whopping 36-14 and Miami had 23 fouls when compared to Cleveland's 16. Those are pretty startling figures, but I would have had more sympathy for Miami if they had tried to force the issue more on offense rather than take what the Cavaliers were giving them, contested jumpers.

The Shaq-Brick Wall: Shaq played a vital role in this game too. He struggled to stay on the floor early because he was not feeling well, but he sent Wade flying to the deck a couple of times. The one that stands out is the play in which O'Neal set up for the charge, stayed completely still, and watched Wade run into him and hit the floor. It was a no call, and if anything, it should have been a charge. Just because the defender doesn't fall down, doesn't mean it's not an offensive foul. Wade's no stick figure guard, so for him to absolutely flatten at contact with Shaq shows how truly formidable Shaq is in the post. This is something the Cavs haven't had the luxury of for as long as I've been watching them, a true dynamite enforcer.

J.O. and the Bease take charge in 3rd: Dwayne Wade didn't score a single point in the third quarter, but Miami hung tough thanks to significant scoring from Mike Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal. J.O. scored all 14 of his points in the second half (12 in the third), and Beasley scored 6 in the third. Those two plus Wade accounted for 29 of the team's 34 second half points, which shows how lacking the Heat's supporting cast truly is.

Boobie's return: Gibson made it to the Q during the middle of the second quarter, and he suited up, making it to the bench just before the half. After warming up at half, Gibson started the second half, and he didn't waste any time making up for missed minutes. Boobie scored 12 points in 23 minutes of the second half, hitting 2-of-6 shots, including 2-of-5 from three while hitting 6-of-7 free throws. Gibson drew a fourth foul on Wade, which limited his ability to be aggressive. Gibson's two threes came as daggers to the Heat in the middle of the fourth as the Cavaliers extended the lead to 15 and 16 on the makes.

 goes to: J.J. Hickson, LeBron James, and Daniel "Boobie" Gibson. It was way too difficult to distinguish between these three for top honors tonight. Hickson's portfolio of positive plays earned him a spot with 12 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes. LeBron dominated in every facet, scoring 36 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, handing out 8 assists, and grabbing 2 steals in 40 minutes. James shot 9-of-16 from the field and 17-of-21 from the line. Gibson faced difficult circumstances having to rush to the hospital before the game, then rush to the Q to help the Cavs. Boobie scored 12 points on 2-of-5 from deep and 6-of-7 from the line in 23 minutes.

Team Grade: A-

This wasn't an easy foe, but the Cavaliers looked like the fresher team. They nearly held an opponent below 40% shooting for the fourth straight game, with Miami shooting just 41%. Miami scored just 34 second half points, while the Cavaliers shot 49% overall and scored 46 second half points. Cleveland also hit 29-of-36 free throws (81%), but their 15 turnovers and 15 offensive rebounds surrendered keep them from top grade.

The Cavaliers' next opponent is the New York Knicks on Saturday night. They look to improve upon their 10-game winning streak and 21-3 record at home.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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