So to speak.

February is no time to worry yourself sick - at least that part of February that comes before the trade deadline. One thing we know, though, the Cavs aren't going to get any taller on their own by late May or June.

"We have to get healthy," LeBron James said of how the Cavaliers measure up against L.A. "It's a long way away to see if we match up against them in the Finals."

Their locker room is a lab brimming with good chemistry, but they're also light in one ingredient. It's why acquiring Marcus Camby has its merits. If not him, Joe Smith.

When the Cavs lost in L.A. on Jan. 19 while missing Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Lakers scored 42 points inside. You could've predicted it. But Sunday with Z on the court and the Lakers minus Andrew Bynum, L.A. scored 62. That's not NBA Basketball. It's Pop-a-Shot at the local sports bar.

Teams don't make moves based on an NBA Finals matchup. So if it helps justify it, they could use more size against Orlando and even Boston, too.

"When you convert almost every rebound into points in the paint, it makes it tough," said Cavs coach Mike Brown, who flatly denied the suggestion the Lakers have exposed a big-man weakness in his team.

Certainly the Cavs weren't going to go 41-0 at home. They aren't going to win many games when James shoots 5-for-20 and can't make a layup, either. Or when they follow up a 61-point first half with a 30-point second half.

But don't spend too much time arguing that point as it pertains to James. Kobe Bryant was sick and needed an IV at halftime. James scored 16, Bryant 19.

What passed for the NBA's premier individual matchup was Bryant's arching fall-away jumper over James for his only two fourth-quarter points. Bryant deferred to Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, when possible. And it was often possible.

"They did the same thing to us in L.A.," Wally Szczerbiak said of the Lakers' dominance inside. "They're the best in the league at doing that."

James said that Sasha Pavlovic's ankle injury at the end of the first half limited the Cavs, and he was right. James had to play Bryant with Pavlovic unavailable. James otherwise could've slid over to try his luck with Odom, who finished with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar numbers. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the third quarter alone on his way to 28 and 17, respectively.

You can rationalize that the Cavaliers still aren't full strength with guard Delonte West out. But neither were the Lakers, playing their sixth and final game of the trip.

For one painful third-quarter stretch, the Cavs trotted out a lineup of Szczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams and James.

That dog may bite an ankle or two, but it won't hunt.

"Championships aren't won in February," said Szczerbiak, whose expiring contract makes him tradable despite his good season continuing even with a broken nose.

He's right. But Sunday was yet a reminder that championships are won in the lane and above the rim.

To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639

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