CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James was in street clothes. Shaquille
O'Neal was nowhere to be found, and Antawn Jamison was in the
locker room icing his sore knee.
If they had lost, the Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of excuses.
They didn't have to use one.
Mo Williams made two free throws with 9 seconds left and Delonte
West made the kind of plays down the stretch reserved for James as
the Cavs won for the first time in three seasons without their
superstar, beating the San Antonio Spurs 97-95 on Monday night.
Cleveland had been 0-9 since 2007-08 without James.
"We had a great opportunity. Not many teams can come here and
win," said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who scored a season-high 38.
"LeBron wasn't playing, Jamison didn't play the second half and
Shaq wasn't there. We blew a big one."
Williams finished with 17 points for the Cavs, who were playing
their second straight game without the injured James. The NBA's
reigning MVP is nursing a tender right ankle as well as other bumps
and bruises and Cleveland coach Mike Brown is taking advantage of a
lull in Cleveland's schedule to get him rest.
West had 16 points and made a key steal in the final minute as
Cleveland became the first team to reach 50 wins this season.
"Without LeBron, Shaq and Antawn, that's the three main guys,"
Williams said. "We so often get the ball to LeBron and play
through him. We did a good job of finding a way."
The Spurs were also short-handed, playing for the first time
this season without guard Tony Parker. He's out six weeks with a
broken hand suffered on Saturday in Memphis.
The Cavs may suddenly have more to worry about than just James
or O'Neal, out until the playoffs after having thumb surgery.
Jamison left late in the third quarter with an apparent left
knee injury and did not return. He will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
"Everything was fine in the first half. In the second half, it
stiffened up," Jamison said. "I couldn't get the range of motion
I needed. I had a slight case of this the first month of the
season. It's not anything to really be worried about."
A back-and-forth game came down to the final minute. With
Cleveland up one, West stole a pass intended for Ginobili with 55
seconds left and was fouled by San Antonio's guard. He made both
free throws to put Cleveland ahead 93-90 with 52.8 seconds left.
After San Antonio missed two potential game-tying 3s, Ginobili
hit a tough step-back jumper that was ruled a 2-pointer. The
officials checked the TV monitors to make sure it wasn't a 3, and
as they reviewed the play, Ginobili watched it on the giant
overhead scoreboard. When he saw it wasn't a 3, Ginobili clenched
his fists in disgust and spun on his heels.
"The replay was pretty clear," Ginobili said. "One inch. I
knew I was on the line, that's why I stepped back. I was pretty
sure it was a 3, but then I saw (referee) Joey Crawford asking for
a review and he looked pretty sure. It's sad. It was a tough shot
and the whole game changed."
Williams' two free throws made it 95-92 and the Spurs called
time to set up a play. They ran it to perfection with Ginobili
passing the ball out top to Roger Mason, but he missed his eighth
consecutive 3-pointer and Anderson Varejao was fouled.
Cleveland's big man made both free throws and Ginobili made a 3
-- the one he needed moments earlier -- just before the horn.
Jamison scored 17, Jawad Williams 13 and J.J. Hickson 12,
including two big free throws with 1:05 left that put the Cavs
ahead 91-90. West added six rebounds, five assists and three
steals.
George Hill started for Parker and scored 23. Tim Duncan had 13
points for the Spurs, who had their winning streak stopped at four.
The Spurs were excited to learn Parker will not need surgery,
increasing the odds the speedy guard will be back at some point in
the playoffs.
"I guess it makes me feel better," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
said.
Unhappy with his club's defense, an irate Popovich tore into his
players during a timeout late in the first.
His arms flailing and his face reddening with every word,
Popovich yelled and screamed from his seat. Before play resumed, he
benched DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson and replaced them with
reserves Malik Hairston and Ian Mahinmi, who entered the game
having played a combined 158 minutes all season.
Jefferson drew Popovich's wrath in the second after he allowed
Jamison to drive baseline and score.
"We gave away 8-12 points just because they ran it right down
our throat and our transition was godawful," Popovich said. "That
was the worst part of the whole game."
NOTES: Ginobili made 7 3s. ... James didn't join his teammates
on the bench until two minutes had expired in the first quarter.
The crowd barely stirred when James, wearing a stylish, blue
pinstriped suit and two-toned saddle shoes, strolled in fashionably
late. He was dressed like a coach and it wasn't long before he
joined Cavs coach Mike Brown and his assistants in the huddle
during a timeout. ... Cavs F Anthony Parker dislocated his left
ring finger in the first but returned. He finished with eight
points in 21 minutes. ... The Cavs are 13-1 at home against Western
teams.
