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James, Cavaliers look to inch closer in conference standings

Mar 11, 2007 - 4:09 PM Indiana (29-32) at Cleveland (37-25) 6:00 pm EST

CLEVELAND (Ticker) - Earlier this season, there were whispers that LeBron James had slipped a bit. However, no one has been better since the All-Star break.

The red-hot James leads the Cleveland Cavaliers into Sunday's contest against the reeling Indiana Pacers, who are mired in their worst losing streak in 18 years.

James has been lighting up the league since last month's midseason break. He has scored at least 29 points in all nine games, including a 41-point outburst in a win over Detroit, which Cleveland is chasing for the top spot in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference.

James scored 32 points and set up Anderson Varejao's game-winning basket in Saturday's 94-92 triumph at Milwaukee that helped Cleveland pull within two games of Detroit (38-22). The Cavaliers are 6-3 since the All-Star break.

With a win Sunday, the Cavaliers will match their season-high five-game winning streak.

The Pacers have more problems than trying to slow down James. In Saturday's 100-96 home loss to Philadelphia, they were without All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who is for at least another two games due an injured left knee.

Indiana has dropped eight straight games, its longest slide since 1989. The Pacers are just one game ahead of eighth-place New York (29-34) in the East. They have not missed the playoffs since 1997.

"We're aware of the standings," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're also aware of the need for us to keep improving and battling. It's as tough as it's ever been here right now, since I've been here. The only way to get out of it is to keep working, keep fighting and stick together."