LeBron James has never been guarded like this.
With armed security personnel and the Cavaliers' mascot, Moondog, watching over their safe arrival, 10,000 LeBron James souvenir bobblehead dolls were delivered in an armored truck to Gund Arena on Monday.
PHOTO: AFP
While the real James was in Chicago getting ready to play the Bulls, the limited-edition bobbleheads were stored away before being given to fans attending today's game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Like everything else bearing James' likeness, name or jersey number on it, the bobblehead has already caused a stir among collectors eager to get their hands on one of the replicas of Cleveland's rookie star.
Two days before it's even available, the giveaway bobblehead is already drawing bids of nearly US$30 on eBay.
"The bids on that are going to be crazy," said Brian Williamson, a bobblehead collector from Pittsburgh. "I don't think you'll be able to get one for under US$50 because of how popular LeBron is."
There are already several James bobbleheads available on the retail market. The Cavaliers' team shop at the Gund sells five different versions, but this one is unique because only 10,000 will be handed out.
"There is a whole sector of collectors who want just the giveaways," said Bill Miko of ImageWorks, a consulting firm who helped the Cavaliers plan the promotion. "Last year, people flew to Houston just to get the Yao Ming giveaway. I expect there to be people on the streets after the game trying to buy the bobbleheads from people as they come out of the Gund."
Upon entering the 20,000-seat arena, fans will be handed a voucher they can redeem at one of three designated areas to get their bobblehead. Team president Len Komoroski said the distribution points will be stationed by security guards as well as uniformed police officers to keep things orderly.
"We want to make sure nobody tries to run off with any of them," he said.
Late last season when the team announced it was returning to its original wine-and-gold color scheme, overzealous fans tore through boxes during a T-shirt giveaway. This time, the Cavs are taking necessary precautions to guard against a similar problem.
Because of the giveaway, Komoroski is expecting fans to arrive earlier than usual for the 7pm tipoff. Doors will open at 5:30pm.
Bulls 92, Cavaliers 81
At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich outplayed his more-heralded rookie counterpart, LeBron James.
Two days after becoming the first rookie with a triple-double this season, Hinrich came close to a second with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. When Hinrich left with less than a minute to play, Bulls fans gave him a standing ovation.
James had 18 points, but he shot just 7-of-17 with three rebounds and three assists.
Grizzlies 81, Spurs 80
San Antonio had nowhere to turn without its biggest star.
With Tim Duncan sidelined by a leg injury, the Spurs struggled down the stretch and lost 81-80 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The Spurs made only one field goal in the final 9 minutes and 27 seconds.
And while they lauded Memphis' defense, it was clear that Duncan's absence was a huge factor.
"We have to give them credit, though for the great defensive pressure," said Manu Ginobili, who finished with 15 points and a career-high nine assists. "We stopped moving the ball ... There was no movement, so we couldn't take open shots."
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, had a 14-point rally in the fourth quarter and won it on Lorenzen Wright's putback with 19.2 seconds remaining.
"I wanted to be aggressive and go after the loose ball and get the rebound," Wright said. "Then, the ball ended up in my hands and I went back up strong."
The Grizzlies' strong defensive made the difference. On San Antonio's final two possessions, Memphis had its best defensive stands.
First, the Grizzlies forced point guard Jason Hart into a shot-clock violation with 28.9 seconds left. After Wright's putback, Memphis' suffocating defense made it hard for the Spurs to get off a final shot. Malik Rose drove the baseline in the waning seconds, but he took his shot while falling backward. It hit off the front of the rim and Memphis' James Posey hustled for the rebound as time expired.
Earl Watson led the Grizzlies with 13 points.
"Earl Watson was key," Shane Battier said. "He really did single-handedly turn the momentum of the game in our favor."
Hedu Turkoglu paced San Antonio with 19 points. Rasho Nesterovic added 18 and 10 rebounds.
Celtics 117, Magic 96
At Boston, Mark Blount had career highs of 28 points and 21 rebounds -- the Celtics' first 20-20 game in 10 years.
Boston scored the first 25 points of the fourth quarter and won its third consecutive game. Blount had his fifth consecutive double-double, Paul Pierce scored 25 points with nine assists for Boston.
Tracy McGrady, the NBA's leading scorer, had 29 points for Orlando after playing just two minutes in the first quarter because of foul trouble.
Celtics interim coach John Carroll said he will keep trying to win even though it might hurt the team's draft position.
"It would be very difficult to walk out the door here and down that hallway and not try to win games," he said Monday outside the Celtics' locker room before the game against the Orlando Magic. "I would be kind of a fraud."
With a 26-36 record after Monday's victory, Boston moved into position for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Asked over the weekend whether the team would be better off with a high draft pick or an early exit from the playoffs, basketball boss Danny Ainge looked to the future.
"I think the playoffs are great for the players, coaches and fans, but I'm not going to lie about it. For the long-term part of this it's obviously better for us to get a higher draft pick," Ainge told the Boston Herald. "That's just the truth."
Ainge's comments stopped far short of suggesting the team was not trying to win, a position that would likely get him in trouble with the NBA office. Many believe the Celtics tanked the 1996-1997 season to improve their chances of landing Tim Duncan; the Celtics had the best chance heading into the draft lottery that year but drew the third pick instead and Duncan went to San Antonio.
Boston wound up with Chauncey Billups.
Carroll, who is 4-12 since taking over, agreed a high draft pick would be nice. But he said his job was to try to win.
"It would be great if you could finish first and have the No. 1 pick," he said. "As crazy as it is, we're still in contention."
Jazz 94, Pistons 86
At Salt Lake City, reserve Gordan Giricek scored 24 points in Utah's fourth straight win. Giricek had his best game since coming to the Jazz in a trade from Orlando for DeShawn Stevenson six games ago. Giricek made 10 of 17 shots, including all four of his 3-point attempts.
Rasheed Wallace scored 27 points in his best outing since arriving from Portland.
Wizards 111, Hornets 106, OT
At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored eight of his 35 points in overtime, and the Wizards recovered after blowing a 21-point second-half lead.
The Wizards scored more points in the five-minute overtime (15) than they did in the entire fourth quarter (10).
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