For the record, LeBron James picks Oklahoma State University to win the college basketball championship.
Cleveland's star rookie also has his eyes on a tough team in the NBA playoffs: the Cavaliers.
"I think we're real dangerous," James said. "We're not just a one-dimensional team. There are a lot of Eastern teams that have one player that they go to. And that's not it for us."
PHOTO: REUTERS
Hardly.
The Cavaliers won their seventh straight game Tuesday night with a 111-87 over the Chicago Bulls.
With James and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas leading the way, Cleveland has gone 11-3 since the All-Star break and 25-17 since opening the season 6-19.
The Cavaliers are currently clinging to the No. 6 playoff spot in the East's wide-open race -- on Wednesday six teams were separated by just three games.
"We're clicking at the right time," said Ilgauskas, the reigning conference player of the week averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his last 13 games. "We're playing our best basketball of the season right now, and that's when you want to peak. A lot of teams are dropping and we're going up. Hopefully, we'll keep on doing that."
The seven-game win streak is the Cavaliers' longest since 1997 -- the last time they made the playoffs. And with just 15 games left in the regular season, it might be time to start looking at Cleveland as a legitimate contender.
Not so fast, says coach Paul Silas.
"We have a little swagger about us right now," said Silas, who isn't quite ready to proclaim his team among the conference's elite with Indiana, New Jersey and Detroit.
"We're not quite there," he said. "But if we rip off a few more games in a row, I'll say we're there."
There hasn't been anything fluky about the Cavs' surge.
In winning 11 of 13, Cleveland has posted home wins over San Antonio, Milwaukee and Indiana as well as road victories in New York and New Orleans.
James, who is averaging 22.5 points, 6 rebounds and 4.8 assists since the break, understands Silas' reluctance to crown the Cavs contenders. But that's not stopping James.
"We believe," he said. "Coaches always say no to stuff like that. But as players, we have arrived and we can play with anybody."
They're going to have to beat a few more if they plan on making the playoffs.
Cleveland has three games left -- Utah, Detroit and Phoenix -- on its current homestand before facing a five-game run that might determine the Cavs' postseason fate.
They'll play road games in Philadelphia, San Antonio, Dallas and Milwaukee and have a home date with New Jersey, which beat the Cavs by 20 points just before the All-Star break.
The Nets may not recognize these Cavaliers and especially not Ilgauskas, whose injury-riddled career has never looked brighter.
Ilgauskas has been dominant on offense and with Silas prodding him, the 28-year-old has become a defensive force by blocking shots and altering others.
"He's one of the top centers in all of the NBA," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "There's not many guys at 7-3 who can do what he does on the court -- facing the basket, shooting with range, posting up. He's a very potent weapon."
Ilgauskas' personal rise parallels Cleveland's ascent after losing at least 50 games the past four seasons.
Three years ago, he nearly retired before deciding to undergo a risky surgery to reconstruct his left foot. He had the same operation on his right foot a year earlier.
The soft-spoken Lithuanian known simply as "Z" persevered, and as the only Cleveland player remaining from the Cavs' last playoff team, he's savoring every point, rebound and win this season.
"Since we got LeBron, the excitement around here has been unbelievable," he said. "The people in Cleveland deserve that. They finally got a winner."
Wizards 114, Kings 108
Kwame Brown had career-highs of 30 points and 19 rebounds while playing all 48 minutes Wednesday night as the Washington Wizards snapped a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Sacramento Kings 114-108.
"He just has a big confidence aura about himself, just taking the ball to the basket," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "He was real sharp with his post moves, his face-ups and finishing at the rim. He was really sharp."
Brown shot 12-for-16 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line, including two free throws with 23.6 seconds left to give the Wizards a 113-105 lead.
"I just felt confident tonight. I hit a couple of shots, and I felt like I couldn't miss. I wanted the ball every time down," Brown said.
Gilbert Arenas had 27 points, 10 assists, a career-high eight steals and five rebounds. He also played the full game for Washington, which lost at New York in overtime on Tuesday night.
Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points and Mike Bibby added 20 as the Kings lost their third in a row.
Celtics 104, Nuggets 100
In Boston, Paul Pierce had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Mark Blount and Chucky Atkins also had double-doubles as Boston downed Denver on St. Patrick's Day.
Wearing green road uniforms, green socks and green headbands to celebrate the holiday, Blount had 17 points with 15 rebounds and Atkins had 21 points and 10 assists. Pierce also had seven assists for the Celtics, who remained in ninth place in the East.
Carmelo Anthony had 20 points and nine rebounds, Nene had 12 and 10 and Voshon Lenard scored 19 for the Nuggets, who are struggling to hold onto the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Raptors 85, Jazz 81
In Toronto, Vince Carter scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, as Toronto knocked Utah back to .500.
Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall each added 17 points for the Raptors, who began the day in 10th place in the East. Toronto is 2-0 since Rose returned to the lineup.
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