CLEVELAND, OH - March 16th, 2009 - Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 9th through Sunday, March 15th.

In four games during the week, James led the Cavs to a perfect 4-0 record with averages of 34.0 points, 10.8 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.8 steals per game. James has now won the award 19 times in his career, including a career-best six times this season, three times in 2007-08, twice in 2006-07, five times in 2005-06 and on three occasions during the 2004-05 campaign.

At Los Angeles on March 10th, he recorded 32 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, two blocks and two steals for his second consecutive triple-double in an 87-83 victory over the Clippers. In his league-high tying sixth triple-double (tied with Chris Paul) this season, he finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and three steals at Phoenix on March 12th. James became the 12th player in NBA history to have three consecutive triple-doubles (Mar.7th with 14 points, 10 rebound and 12 assists at Miami, Mar. 10th and Mar. 12th).

James recorded his third 50-point game of the season with 51 points plus four rebounds, nine assists, three blocks, and two steals in leading the Cavs to a 126-123 overtime win against the Kings. With the win, the Cavaliers won the Central Division for the second time in franchise history (1975-76). With three road wins during the week, James and the Cavaliers pushed their road record to 24-12, a franchise best, and improved to 22-4 against the Western Conference which is the best record of any Eastern Conference team.

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Signing Joe Smith

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed free agent forward/center Joe Smith to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per league rules, terms of the contract were not released.

Smith, 33, played in 36 games (three starts) this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and averaged 6.6 points on .454 shooting and 4.5 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game before being waived on March 1. He is eligible to be on the Cavaliers’ postseason roster.

The 6-foot-10, 225-pounder has played 13 years in the NBA, including spending part of last season with Cleveland after being acquired on Feb. 21, 2008 in a three-team trade in which the Cavs also acquired Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace and Delonte West. In 27 regular season games (one start) with Cleveland, Smith averaged 8.1 points on .512 shooting and 5.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. He also
played in all 13 postseason games during the 2008 Playoffs and averaged 6.6 points on .486 shooting and 4.6 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.

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Lebron and the Cavs

PHOENIX -- His left shin got sandwiched, his thigh was smashed by the biggest player in the NBA, and a high-speed crash left him turning a backward somersault.

What a rough night for LeBron James. What a great night for LeBron James.

Same for the Cavaliers, who had their warts exposed again but still showed their stuff: their depth, their ability to play timely defense and their dominant player.

They won another fiercely contested road game, outlasting the Suns, 119-111, in a game that was far from their comfort level and one that didn't end until 1:30 a.m. today. It gave them a franchise-record 23rd road win and reduced their magic number to just one to win their first Central Division title since 1976.

To understand the kind of night James had, he made double history. He had his third consecutive triple double, the first time he's done that in his career, with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. And he got a victory at the US Airways Center for the first time in six tries.
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