O'Neal's wisdom has impact on LeBron

INDIANAPOLIS: Mike Brown calls him ''the big fella.''

But Shaquille O'Neal used to call himself ''the Big Aristotle.''

So when O'Neal dispenses wisdom it's smart to listen. Because it comes with impact, and import.

About 11 games ago, O'Neal pulled aside the league's reigning and soon-to-be-repeat MVP and offered some advice.

''I said,'' O'Neal recalled Friday, ''You know what? I heard somebody said that Kobe [Bryant] will never let his team lose. He has that will.

''I know you have that, but now it's time for you to show that you have that.''

O'Neal said that little message — ''I'm like that big brother that's been there'' — provided the impetus for an 11-game stretch of LeBron James excellence that has propelled the Cavaliers to the
league's best record and James to some very high highs.

How has James been in this stretch?

''Fabulous,'' O'Neal said.

To say the least.

And that fabulous streak of excellence continued Friday night in a 94-73 win over the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Cavs' seventh in a row and ninth in 10 games.

James made the first basket of the game, then assisted on the Cavs' next three baskets — an O'Neal dunk off an out-of-bounds play and 3s by Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker.

By the end of the quarter, James had nine assists — one short of the team record of 10 held by Mark Price.

Price, of course, played point guard.

James plays forward. His line: 22 points, nine rebounds, 13 assists (a season high) and four blocked shots.

James assisted on nine of the Cavs' 13 baskets in the first quarter. He shot just 6-of-18 in the win — but he was so effective he was a team-best plus-21 for the game.

One of the assists came as he floated to his right toward the bench and in midair rifled a pass to O'Neal on the other side of the lane.

It was one of those moments when you realize James does at least one thing every night that makes you step back and ask: How'd that happen?

By quarter's end, the Cavs led 36-18.

When O'Neal hit Anderson Varejao for a basket early in the second, the Cavs as a team had 12 assists on their first 15 baskets.

At that point, O'Neal grabbed a rebound and dribbled the length of the court. His bounce pass to Jawad Williams was tipped away, but that didn't stop the Cavs bench from celebrating ''the big fella's'' moves.

As the quarter progressed, O'Neal got a lob and was surrounded by three Pacers. He faked, went under and laid the ball in while being fouled.

The bench went bonkers. And by game's end O'Neal had overpowered anything Indiana threw at him inside, matching his season-high with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

O'Neal has talked of accepting his role, realizing he is not the top man on the Cavs. He shrugs it off as dealing with reality.

''I really accept that at 38,'' he said. ''If I was 26, 28 I probably wouldn't have accepted it.''

The Cavs played sloppy at times, finishing with 23 turnovers. But they held the Pacers to 33.7 percent shooting, which meant that even though Indiana took 92 shots (92!), the Cavs had one more basket (32-to-31).

When the Pacers chipped the lead back to 10 in the third quarter James again took over.

He blocked a Troy Murphy drive at the rim and set up Williams for a 3. He then blocked A.J. Price's floater and late in the quarter had a steal and two-handed slam that brought a roar from the Indianapolis crowd.

O'Neal talked about being the Big Aristotle, because Aristotle said ''excellence is not an act, but a habit.''

With James, the habit becomes an act of excellence in itself.

''He's brilliant,'' Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. ''He's just an off-the-chart player. One of the greats of all time.''

And since O'Neal dropped the hint in his ear, James has averaged 31.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.6 steals.

O'Neal's ''fabulous'' might be an understatement.

• James on missing a triple-double by one rebound: ''It doesn't matter. It's all about wins for me. I probably have more career one-rebound or one-assist-away triple-doubles than anybody in NBA history.''

• The Cavs were dominant in the interior defensively. They blocked 11 shots, and the Pacers had several shots barely glance the rim. The free-throw disparity was telling: Cleveland took 44, Indiana five.

• James did not quibble with the league fining him $25,000 for kicking a water bottle during a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

James kicked the bottle near the bench, and some water sprayed the crowd.

''It's the rule,'' he said. ''Nothing can go in the crowd. That's a league rule — standard.

''Honestly, I tried to kick the bottle underneath the seat, but my football days got back into me.''