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The Cleveland Cavaliers had only overcome a 20-point deficit twice in their history. Against the Hornets, rookie Jason Kapono had the best game of his young career. Down 25 points, Kapono came in during the second quarter and nailed five of his three pointers. The Cleveland Cavaliers hit a season-high nine shots from behind the arc as they defeated Paul Silas' old squad, 104-100, to give them their third-straight win.
LeBron James had his finest night as a pro when he almost single-handedly delivered the Cleveland Cavaliers a win with a stellar 41-point, 13-assist performance against the reigning Eastern Conference Champs. The Cleveland Cavaliers were without starting point guard, Jeff McInnis, and had lost four straight. Their postseason hopes were slipping away before LBJ took over. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40.
Only two other rookies in the history of the league (Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson) put up numbers comparable to LeBron James in their rookie seasons. LBJ was the youngest player -- and the only Cleveland Cavalier -- to win the Rookie of the Year award. James finished his freshman season averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 boards and 5.9 assists per game. Moreover, the Cleveland Cavaliers more than doubled their win total from the previous season.
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