When the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery last year, LeBron James had his doubts.
James told the Akron Beacon Journal for a story Sunday that at first he wasn't sure if he wanted to play for the team just up the road from his hometown.
"That team they had last year on the court ... I mean I went to a lot of those games, and I saw it," James said. "The coaching staff and the players didn't show the enthusiasm of wanting to win. I'm a winner. I wanted to win and I wasn't sure if this was the place."
James said the Cavaliers' hiring of coach Paul Silas, offseason acquisitions and some recent trades have changed his mind.
"We all get along now. There isn't anybody on the team that doesn't like each other. I think we can do something great. That's what we all want, to do something great," he said.
The Cavaliers are 19-32 and have already surpassed last season's win total of 17.
The 19-year-old James, who is averaging 20 points, said the wins are an improvement, but the team needs to make the playoffs for him to consider it a successful season.
"I knew a lot of people in Cleveland who didn't think we had a chance after 20 games. Now everybody's hyped up, thinking we have a chance," he said.
Wizards 106, Cavaliers 88
In Cleveland, Gilbert Arenas scored 26 points, Jerry Stackhouse had 19 and suddenly healthy Washington snapped an 11-game road losing streak.
Stackhouse added 11 assists and Kwame Brown had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wizards win away from home for the first time since Dec. 6 in Milwaukee.
Arenas scored 15 points in the third and did a nice job shutting down Cavs rookie LeBron James, who lit up the Wizards for a season-high 38 points a week ago while Arenas was out.
James scored 14 points, but went just 3-for-10 after scoring eight points in first quarter. Carlos Boozer had 19 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs.
Knicks 76, Heat 64
Stephon Marbury scored all 16 of his points in the first half, and the New York Knicks extended their winning streak to four games with a 76-64 victory over the Miami Heat on Saturday.
Miami's point total was its lowest of the season, and the Heat scored just 10 points in the fourth quarter. They went 6:11 without a field goal.
New York, which remained seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, took three of four from its Atlantic Division rival this season. Miami lost its third straight overall.
"We're playing well right now, we're clicking," forward Kurt Thomas said. "We're waiting for Allan to get back. We know we're going to be a much stronger team when he gets back, when he's healthy."
Lamar Odom had 18 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Heat, who last led 15-14 with three minutes left in the first quarter. Miami shot 30.5 percent overall, including 1-of-15 from behind the 3-point line.
Thomas had 14 second-half points, and Shandon Anderson added 12 as the Knicks earned their third straight road win.
Celtics 110, 76ers 80
In Philadelphia, Paul Pierce scored 35 points, helping Boston snap a six-game losing streak and give interim coach John Carroll his first victory.
Ricky Davis had 20 points and Walter McCarty added 16 for Boston, which hadn't won since Jan. 23 against Washington. Carroll lost his first five game after taking over when Jim O'Brien resigned.
Glenn Robinson scored 19 points, and Allen Iverson had 15 for the Sixers, who have lost 10 of 13.
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