James soars in first playoff game

CLEVELAND (AP) — Hollywood arrived a few days ago as a film crew began shooting scenes for the next “Spiderman” sequel. On Saturday, East 9th Street was closed to accommodate the production.

One block away, nothing could stop the city’s resident superhero.

LeBron James soared.

Cleveland’s young star had a dazzling NBA playoff debut, making history with a triple-double in a 97-86 series opening win over the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers’ first postseason victory since 1998.

In the biggest game of his budding career, James dominated, delivering an MVP-worthy performance before a towel-waving, title-famished Cleveland crowd of 20,562 that threatened to blow the roof off Quicken Loans Arena.

With 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, James became just the third player to get a triple-double in his first playoff game. Johnny McCarthy did it for the St. Louis Hawks in 1960. Magic Johnson did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980.

Twenty-six years later, the 21-year-old James got his.

“The only thing that surprised me, was that it took LeBron 48 minutes to do it,” Cavs guard Larry Hughes said Sunday. “He’s a special guy.”

To put it in context, Michael Jordan, the No. 23 to whom Cleveland’s No. 23 is often compared, had 23 points, four rebounds and 10 assists but lost his first playoff game for the Chicago Bulls.

Kobe Bryant’s debut? Two points.

Cleveland’s playoff opener was also the first on the opening weekend of the NBA’s second season. Cavs forward Donyell Marshall didn’t think that was a coincidence.

“A triple-double? That’s nothing new for him, and that’s no surprise to me,” he said. “My philosophy is that’s why the NBA put us on first, to see what LeBron would do.”

During a timeout after James outscored the Wizards 9-0 in the first quarter, members of the Cavs’ “Scream Team” ran onto the floor and began throwing black T-shirts with the word “Witness” printed on the front into the crowd.

Maybe they should have handed them out on the Washington bench, too.

The Wizards got to see James from all angles.

“Every bucket they got, every offensive rebound they got, it seemed like they were a result of him,” Washington’s Jared Jeffries said. “He controlled the whole game.”

Other than firing up an airball on his first shot, James had little trouble with the Wizards, whose primary game plan was to force the 6-foot-8 forward to dribble to his left — his weaker hand — and not let him get to the basket.

Oops. James had several layups, including one driving to his right with 4:44 that basically put the game out of reach.

Washington also attempted to double-team James, rushing a second defender at him when he crossed mid-court.

Double oops. James simply waited for the pressure and then calmly passed around or over the Wizards, usually finding Marshall (19 points, three 3-pointers) or Eric Snow (14 points) for wide-open jumpers.

At practice on Sunday, the Wizards, who returned to Washington following the game, began working on new schemes to try and slow James in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

“We’ll make some adjustments, but we have to do things better,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “He’s a terrific player and the more you play against him the more you understand how good he is.

“For the most part we have to force him to take more outside shots instead of driving to the basket. If we are going to double-team him, which there are times you have to, then we have to get out of the double team and rotate better to get to shooters.”

James isn’t too worried about what the Wizards might have in store.

“I’ve seen every defense possible,” he said. “Double-teams, triple-teams, box-and-one. There’s nothing I don’t know how to get around. I’m sure they’re going to try to do something, though.”

James would have had several more assists, but both Marshall and Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed easy layups. After one misfire underneath, James leveled a not-so-understanding glare at Marshall as they headed to the bench.

“It’s up to me to read the defense and try to make all my teammates do well,” James said. “I always like to pass. For one, you get two ‘oohs’ on the play — one on the pass and one on the bucket.”

Perhaps more impressive than any of his stats was that James came through with a heavy heart. On Friday, he attended the wake of Brenda Lewis Weems, his godmother, who died of cancer on April 15. She was just 45.

Weems’ son, Brandon, was a high school teammate of James at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. James calls Brandon his “little brother.”

On a new pair of white-and-gold trimmed Nikes he broke out for the playoffs, James scrawled “Brenda RIP” on the tongues of his sneakers, a tribute to a woman he considered to be a second mother.

After the game, James quietly dressed with the inscribed shoes a few feet away.

“Say a prayer for her,” he said.