--F LeBron James is the leading vote-getter among Eastern Conference forwards for the All-Star Game, which will be played in Phoenix on Feb. 15. James, the 2008 NBA All-Star Game MVP, has 1,259,764 votes, followed by Boston's Kevin Garnett with 905,506 at forward.

--James drew F J.J. Hickson in the annual gift exchange. "LeBron got J.J. a nice watch and one key gift, an alarm clock, to make sure he's not late for anything," G Mo Williams said. Of course, Hickson ran afoul of team rules by missing a bus to a shootaround earlier in the season.

--James' block of Rockets C Yao Ming on Tuesday was special. He said he saw the play develop before it happened. When asked to expound on his comment, he didn't know what to say. "It just happens," James said. "I see plays before they happen. It's a special power, I guess."

--James said he remembers how he was treated in the playoff series against the Wizards last year. "They tried to take me out of the game mentally," he said. "That's how they approached it last year in the playoffs. They wanted to take me out of the game mentally. Bad plan, I guess."

He said Rockets F Ron Artest tried to do the same thing on Tuesday. "He's a competitor," James said. "You should never have a problem with a guy who plays hard and wants to win."

James said Artest intimidated him as a rookie. "He was a lot stronger than I was as a rookie," James said. "The intimidation factor was mighty big at the time. I've grown up quite a bit."

MEDICAL WATCH:

--G Eric Snow (knee) will retire as soon as the Cavs receive a disability claim from the insurance company.