"I'll have to check the film," he said, smiling. "I don't make enough money get to fined, man."

Even after James' defensive gem, the Blazers closed to 101-97 on Aldridge's 3-pointer and pulled within two when Roy sneaked behind James on the baseline, stole the ball and made a layup with 12.2 seconds remaining.

"It was just miscommunication," James said.

The Blazers were forced to foul and Williams and James combined for three free throws in the last 10 seconds to ice it.

After giving up 31 points to Portland in the second quarter, the Cavs held the Blazers to 45 points in the second half.

James scored 14 - matching his total for the first half - during a back-and-forth third quarter.

Early in the period, James was the only Cavaliers player doing much of anything on offense and the Blazers took a 10-point lead on Roy's 3-pointer. But O'Neal began asserting himself down low like the Shaq of old and scored nine points during a 15-2 run that put Cleveland back in front.

On one possession, O'Neal grabbed a loose ball, powered through two defenders and shook the backboard with a powerful dunk.

This has been a tough week for the injury-ravaged Trail Blazers, who spent nearly as much time on the operating table as on the floor.

Center Greg Oden underwent surgery on Dec. 6 to repair a left patella fracture, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The next day, coach Nate McMillan had surgery on his ruptured Achilles' tendon and Rudy Fernandez underwent a procedure to alleviate pain in his right leg.

NOTES: Demopoulos is serving as head coach during McMillan's absence. Although he is not with the team, Portland's wins and losses will be credited to McMillan, not Demopoulos. ... Browns star Josh Cribbs received a huge ovation from the crowd, one night after he led Cleveland to an upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers. ... Cavs G Daniel Gibson sat out with a sprained right pinkie he injured at Houston. ... Cleveland's reserves contributed 35 points and 17 rebounds. In the past seven games, the Cavs' backups are averaging 38.6 points and 19.6 rebounds.