Close-knit Cavaliers not just the LeBron show

Best NBA record after 90 games since 1959-60 Combined regular season and playoffs Year Team W L Pct. 1996 Chicago 79 11 .878 1997 Chicago 76 14 .844 1967 Philadelphia 75 15 .833 1972 L.A. Lakers 75 15 .833 1986 Boston 74 16 .822 2009 Cleveland 74 16 .822 Source: The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) -- In fiction and reality, there's long been a place for the faithful sidekick, the dependable partner that the hero can count on. Batman had Robin. The Lone Ranger had Tonto. Captain Kirk had Mr. Spock.

But until this NBA season, LeBron James didn't have a sidekick.

To be fair, this year's league MVP had a few teammates he could trust on the floor, but not enough. The Cleveland Cavaliers were talented, but not as skilled as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers or others.

But now, partnered by Mo Williams, an All-Star acquired in a trade last summer, King James is surrounded by a royal court. A tight-knit team, the Cavaliers had the league's best record in the regular season and are rampaging through the playoffs, with series sweeps of Detroit and Atlanta already under their belts.

"They've got weapons all over the floor," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "As good as he is, and LeBron is one of the best I've seen in 27 years in this league, he doesn't do it alone."

In winning their first eight playoff games -- all by double digits -- the Cavaliers are an eye-popping 74-16, tying them with the 1986 Boston Celtics for the fourth-best start ever through 90 games. Only the 1996 Chicago Bulls (79-11), the 1997 Bulls (76-14) and the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (75-15) surpass these Cavaliers, who have been unequaled in recent months.

"We got 10 or 11 guys who have started on other teams," James said. "We got guys who know how to play significant minutes, guys who know how to play basketball. We haven't had that in the past."

Williams was the missing piece. In James' first five seasons, the Cavaliers didn't have a point guard capable of consistently directing their offense. They needed someone to create shots for James, someone to take the ball out of his hands, someone to settle things down. Too often, James was a solo artist.

Williams has not only accepted his costarring role, but he relishes being part of James' on-court entourage.

"I pick my spots," he said. "This is a well-balanced team. At times I don't have to be aggressive. I can space the floor. And if my man helps, I can knock down the 3. I try to affect the game in a lot of different ways."

Not knowing he would one day be Williams' teammate and close friend, James had scouted him. He knew what Williams could bring to the internationally flavored Cavaliers, who have players from Lithuania, Brazil and Serbia.

"I saw the things he did against us last year in Milwaukee," James said. "Because I'm a fan of the game, I watched him and I thought he could be a really good fit for us, and I thought he could definitely help me out on the perimeter. He has taken a lot of pressure off me as far as ballhandling and things like that. He has done that and more. He's an unbelievable point guard. He controls the team and runs the team."

Williams didn't know James well before he arrived in August, but they bonded immediately.

"Our friendship from the jump gave us trust in each other on the court," Williams said. "Especially him trusting me."

Before the season, Cleveland coach Mike Brown considered what was missing from his team. In James, Brown had arguably the game's most dominant force. In Williams, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, guard Delonte West and forward Ben Wallace, he had proven veterans. In Wally Szczerbiak, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic, he had quality backups.

Brown, though, felt the Cavaliers' chemistry wasn't quite right. Early last season, an uneasiness had settled over the team, which was coming off being swept by San Antonio in the finals. Players were unhappy with their minutes.

So following the team's preseason dinner, Brown gave a 10-minute speech on trust. He asked them to spend time together off the floor, to share their interests, to become brothers.

The Cavaliers bought in. They wheel in birthday cakes at practice and sing "Happy Birthday" to a celebrating teammate or coach. On a trip to Los Angeles, the entire traveling party went to see "Slumdog Millionaire." In Memphis, the Cavaliers toured the National Civil Rights Museum. This week, James had them over to his house for a playoff-watching dinner.

They have developed special handshakes and perform elaborate skits during pregame introductions. When practice ends, nobody wants to go home. The Cavaliers hang around and play shooting games.

"Since high school, this is the tightest team I've ever been on," James said. "It's nice. It's not the ingredient for every team, but it is for ours. We've bonded."

James has a unique gift of making everyone from ball boys to team executives feel included. He can't win a title by himself, so why try? He accepts the praise, but ever the playmaker, he shares it.

"It's like every time he wins, we win," Wallace said. "He wins the MVP, and he gives everyone else a gift. That's great for building chemistry."

The Cavaliers got it, and soon may have a title to go with it.

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