Early in the third quarter, the most optimistic Nets fans might have thought they spotted a ray of hope amid the late season gloom. Up by 14 points, New Jersey appeared to be in command and maybe, just maybe, ready to push the Hawks a bit. Alas, it was a mirage. The Cavs outscored the Nets 51-16 the rest of the way, led by Lebon James who wound up with 33. Atlanta's magic number is now one. Although late game collapses have marked the Nets' season, this one was pure futility. Looking tired, both physically and mentally, the Nets failed to score on 10 straight possessions, missing 19 straight field goal attempts. Vince Carter, who had 15 at halftime, was high scorer for New Jersey with 19. Richard Jefferson scored 15 but the two Nets combined for 9-for-29 shooting. Boki Nachbar finished with 15 points. Josh Boone sat out with an ailing knee and DeSagana Diop filled in, scoring six points and grabbing nine boards. He and Nenad Krstic committed nine fouls in a combined 49 minutes. Four Cavs had between 12 and 14 points.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Game Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
- James Scores 33 as Cavaliers Race Past Nets - AP
- Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James, Daniel Gibson ignite win with hustle - Branson Wright - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
- Cavs need to take seeding seriously - Terry Pluto - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
- Nets, season unravel in Cleveland - Al Iannazzone - YES Network
- Anemic offense has Nets close to elimination - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
- Cavs' late run nothing but net - Bob Finnan - Lorain Morning Journal
- Cavs wake up and win big - Brian Windhorst - Akron Beacon-Journal
- LeBron won't take losing lying down - Brian Windhorst - Akron Beacon-Journal
- Lowly Nets crawling to finish - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Jefferson satisfied - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Defense steps up in win: Cavaliers hold Nets to one field goal in fourth quarter - Rick Noland - Elyria Chronicle Telegram
- Cavs, Lebron put struggling Nets on brink - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Nets give themselves little shot - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
- 'Boobie' back in groove - Branson Wright - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
- How Cleveland Got Its Groove Back - Cleveland Cavaliers