CLEVELAND -- LeBron James walked to the center of the floor as fans who have watched him grow from local teenage prodigy to NBA superstar drowned him in cheers.
LeBron James acknowledges the Cleveland crowd after he becomes the Cavs' career scoring leader.
As they stood and screamed, James returned their love by blowing kisses.
The kid from nearby Akron has done it all so quickly, in the blink of an eye.
From the franchise's top pick to its top scorer -- in less than five years.
"The crazy thing about it is that he's 23," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Absolutely amazing."
James passed Brad Daugherty as Cleveland's career scoring leader in the first quarter and finished with 29 points, leading the Cavaliers to a 90-83 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in a possible first-round playoff preview.
In just his fifth NBA season, James has already moved to the top of Cleveland's scoring chart, a remarkable achievement for a remarkable player whose potential seems limitless. He scored 23 points in the second half, including 11 in the final 7:19 as the Cavaliers won their ninth straight at home.
When the final horn sounded, James was handed the game ball by referee Dick Bavetta before his mother, Gloria, rushed on the floor to plant a kiss on her only child.
"I think I made my mom proud," he said.
And just about everyone else in Northeast Ohio.
In hardly no time at all, he has resurrected the Cavaliers, first leading them back to the playoffs and then all they way to the NBA Finals for the first time. He has given Cleveland sports fans a reasonable hope that one of the city's star-crossed pro teams may end a four-decades-old world title drought.
It took Daugherty 548 games to amass 10,389 points. James, the NBA's leading scorer, has 10,414 points in just 380 games.
"It took me 13 years to get 10,000 points," Cavs forward Joe Smith said. "It goes to show what kind of talent he is. I know he has at least 30,000 more in him."
CBSSports.com wire reports [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
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LeBron James acknowledges the Cleveland crowd after he becomes the Cavs' career scoring leader.
As they stood and screamed, James returned their love by blowing kisses.
The kid from nearby Akron has done it all so quickly, in the blink of an eye.
From the franchise's top pick to its top scorer -- in less than five years.
"The crazy thing about it is that he's 23," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Absolutely amazing."
James passed Brad Daugherty as Cleveland's career scoring leader in the first quarter and finished with 29 points, leading the Cavaliers to a 90-83 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in a possible first-round playoff preview.
In just his fifth NBA season, James has already moved to the top of Cleveland's scoring chart, a remarkable achievement for a remarkable player whose potential seems limitless. He scored 23 points in the second half, including 11 in the final 7:19 as the Cavaliers won their ninth straight at home.
When the final horn sounded, James was handed the game ball by referee Dick Bavetta before his mother, Gloria, rushed on the floor to plant a kiss on her only child.
"I think I made my mom proud," he said.
And just about everyone else in Northeast Ohio.
In hardly no time at all, he has resurrected the Cavaliers, first leading them back to the playoffs and then all they way to the NBA Finals for the first time. He has given Cleveland sports fans a reasonable hope that one of the city's star-crossed pro teams may end a four-decades-old world title drought.
It took Daugherty 548 games to amass 10,389 points. James, the NBA's leading scorer, has 10,414 points in just 380 games.
"It took me 13 years to get 10,000 points," Cavs forward Joe Smith said. "It goes to show what kind of talent he is. I know he has at least 30,000 more in him."
CBSSports.com wire reports [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
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