LeBron at 21 has NBA Cavaliers coming of age
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-29 10:46

CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) - National Basketball Association star LeBron James celebrates his 21st birthday on Friday, the flashy guard coming of age just as his Cleveland Cavaliers are rounding into prime form.

The former high school prodigy, who wears jersey number 23 in honor of idol Michael Jordan, has shown similar moves to the retired Chicago Bulls superstar but has been unable to guide the Cavaliers into the playoffs.

This, however, appears to be a breakthrough season. Two months into the NBA campaign, the Cavaliers are 17-10 and second in the Eastern Conference to NBA pace-setter Detroit (23-3) - Cleveland's next foe on Saturday.

James ranks third among NBA scorers with 30.4 points a game, trailing only veteran playmakers Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. He is also by far the most accurate shooter among points leaders, having learned what moves to make when.

"I feel like every shot I take and every move I make is going to work," said James. "My comfort level is really high. It's knowing I don't have to take bad shots to keep us in the game."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown sees a court awareness and maturity that might even be ahead of that shown by Jordan at age 21, when he was still a college senior.

"The scary part about that is, that's LeBron. I don't know anybody else that can do it," Brown said.

"I truly believe it's because he's got a great understanding of when he can take certain shots. When he takes one or two shots that aren't in the flow, he makes up his mind that his next shot is going to be aggressive going to the rim."

James sparked Cleveland on a six-game win streak that was snapped by New Jersey 96-91 on Tuesday despite 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from "King James". The Cavaliers have lost seven in a row at New Jersey.

"We have to approach road games like we are the home team," James said. "But that's difficult to do for anyone in this league."

James has became a major NBA pitchman, following Jordan's profitable footsteps in the advertising and endorsement arenas with a new campaign running on US television now.