concede his MVP

MIAMI -- Best player. Air Force 1 Clearance . Best game of his career. LeBron James clearly isnt ready to concede his MVP award to anyone yet. Dazzling from inside and out, James put on the best scoring show of his NBA life Monday night, pouring in 61 points -- a career high and franchise record -- as the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 124-107. It was the eighth straight win for the two-time defending champions, who are starting to roll as the playoffs get near. James made 22 of 33 shots from the field, including his first eight three-point attempts. "The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball," James said. "I just try to take advantage of it every night. I got the trust of my teammates and my coaching staff to go in there and let it go." His career best had been 56 points, on March 20, 2005, for Cleveland against Toronto. Glen Rice scored 56 to set the Heat record on April 15, 1995, against Orlando. James had 24 points at halftime, then added 25 in the third quarter. The record-breaker came with 5:46 left, when James spun through three defenders for a layup that fell as he tumbled to the court. "There was an efficiency to what he was doing," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The rim looked like an ocean for him." Spoelstra walked into his postgame news conference with a confession: He nearly took James out after the third quarter. Good thing he thought better of that plan. "He was in a great groove, obviously," Spoelstra said. Al Jefferson had 38 points and 19 rebounds for the Bobcats, his huge night merely an afterthought. This was all about LeBron. "You take away his 61 points," Jefferson said, "and we still had a fighting chance there at the end." Yes, even the Bobcats were marveling at James. He was hitting from everywhere, even a pull-up three-pointer from about 30 feet -- Spoelstra joked it was from 40 -- late in the third quarter, as the crowd roared and the Heat bench jumped with joy. "Yeah, that was a designed play," Spoelstra deadpanned. "Weve been working on that one for a while." That was the moment, James said, when he knew he was in the midst of a special night. "I felt pretty good in the first half but halftime can always kind of derail things and slow things up," James said. "But I was able to get things going once again in the third quarter and I knew it could be one of those nights." Not "one of those nights." Even for James, this was like no other. Most points in a game. Most field goals in a game. Most points in any quarter in Heat history, with the 25 in the third. Most points in the second half, 37, by any Heat player ever. "Once he sniffed 60, we knew he was going for it," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "And the amazing part is the efficiency. Good Lord. Sixty-one on 33 shots, thats Wilt Chamberlain-esque. Thats pretty amazing. Incredible performance." When James checked out with 1:24 left, the entire Heat roster met him near midcourt for high-fives and hugs, and the sellout crowd gave him a standing ovation. A second huge roar followed when he waved to the crowd, as "M-V-P" chants rained down. Charlotte has allowed the two biggest single-game scoring totals in the NBA this season. Carmelo Anthony had 62 points for the New York Knicks against the Bobcats on Jan. 24. Chris Bosh scored 15 for the Heat, and Toney Douglas added 10. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Anthony Tolliver each scored 12 for Charlotte. "If hes going to shoot the ball like that from that range, theres nobody thats going to beat them," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. Miami was without guard Dwyane Wade, who got a night off to rest. Spoelstra stressed theres been no setback for Wade, who has been on a knee-maintenance program throughout this season and is averaging 23.5 points on 62 per cent shooting since the All-Star break. Wade probably didnt mind sitting for this one. It gave him a courtside seat for the show. James scored 11 in the first quarter, after which Miami led by three, and added 13 more in the second. His 24-point first half was the highest-scoring opening 24 minutes for the four-time MVP in nearly a year, helping stake the Heat to a 60-54 lead at the break. Jefferson was up to 26 at that point. He didnt cool off much after halftime, either. It just didnt matter. James, said Clifford, "was phenomenal." There was no way Jefferson or anyone else was keeping up with James, who had to listen to critics in recent weeks say that Kevin Durants scoring for Oklahoma City this season shifted the balance of MVP power. Not so fast. "Every night I go on the floor I want to be the MVP, of this league, MVP of this team, MVP for me, myself and my family," James said. "Ive set a high standard and I have to live by that." James made three three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the quarter -- he was 6 for 6 from beyond the arc at that point -- and when Charlotte bit on his head fake from the top of the key, James coolly found Douglas to set up another 3. A tip-in by James followed not long afterward and just like that, the lead was up to 83-63. Charlotte scored the next six points, but any notion that the game was slipping from Miamis control was quickly extinguished. James scored the next six himself, a pair of three-point plays to restore the 20-point edge and give him 43 points, already a season high. All that was left to see was what hed finish with. The answer was history. "I was happy I was able to make a few plays to help us win," James said. NOTES: Spoelstra won the Eastern Conference coach of the month award for February. Houstons Kevin McHale won in the Western Conference, and the Rockets host to Miami on Tuesday night. ... The Heat improved to 10-6 when Wade doesnt play. Theyre 33-8 when he does. ... Kemba Walker had eight assists for Charlotte. ... The Heat were 16 for 28 from beyond the arc. Air Force 1 Online . Asdrubal Cabrera had four hits and three RBIs, Michael Brantley also homered and the Indians beat the injury-riddled Minnesota Twins 9-4 Thursday for their first three-game winning streak this season. Air Force 1 China . Selected by the Titans in the 2007 NFL Draft, Johnson rejoined the club last season after a five-year stint with Indianapolis.Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel each had one goal and an assist in the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Joffrey Lupul, David Booth and Nazem Kadri also lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs, who have won six in a row. Jonathan Bernier stopped 40-of-42 shots. Sami Vatanen and Ryan Kesler scored for the Ducks, who had a seven-game winning streak snapped. I dont think we deserved to lose by that much, said Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano. I thought we had most of the play. We gave them easy goals at the end of the game, but we held most of the play. Frederik Andersen made his 19th straight start and allowed four goals on 20 shots before being pulled in the third period. Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 5- of-7 shots in relief. The Maple Leafs took a 3-1 lead on Booths first goal of the season at 4:37 of the third when his wraparound attempt deflected off Anaheim deefenseman Clayton Stoner and snuck past Andersen. Air Force 1 Outlet. Kadri scored from the left circle less than a minute later. Kesler pulled the Ducks within two at 8:35 when he tipped in Kyle Palmieris pass, but Kessel and van Riemsdyk scored at 15:23 and 18:17, respectively, to secure the victory. Bozak jammed home a loose puck in front at the 15:12 mark of the first period and Bernier turned away all 17 Anaheim shots to preserve the advantage. (Bernier) was the main reason we had a chance to win the game, Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle said. Lupuls shot from along the left boards gave Toronto a 2-0 lead at 1:31 of the second. Vatanen put the Ducks on the board with a shorthanded goal at the 13:13 mark. He took a pass from Kesler and beat Bernier from the right circle. Game Notes Toronto improved to 14-0 when scoring first this season ... The Maple Leafs have won six straight against the Ducks. ' ' '