"A couple pictures there need to be taken down," Gooden said. "They're a couple years old now."

The photos in question were snapped during the Spurs' four-game sweep of Cleveland in the 2007 NBA Finals. There in the background of more than one, wearing his Cavaliers whites, is Gooden.

"There's a Tony Parker shot, or a Manu Ginobili shot, and I'm in the background," Gooden said. "Like it's a layup drill."

In the nearly two years since those photos were taken, more has changed than just the color of Gooden's uniform.

In 2007, the Cavaliers were considered an overmatched interloper to the Finals party. This year, they might be the favorites to bring their city its first pro sports championship since 1964.

When the two teams reunite this afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena, the Spurs will be the ones hoping to prove they belong among the NBA's elite.

Cleveland comes into the game with the NBA's best record, 61-15 even after a rare two-game losing streak. The Cavaliers own arguably the game's best player, MVP-in-waiting LeBron James. They are 36-1 in their home arena, a feat unmatched since the Michael Jordan-era Bulls, and have already smashed the franchise's single-season win mark.

The Spurs, in search of some playoff momentum after an up-and-down March, have their work cut out for them this afternoon. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked about taking a forfeit.

"We're not going," he said. "We're canceling the game."

Though the Cavaliers have gotten deeper since their '07 ouster, this season adding Mo Williams at point guard and Joe Smith to the front line, their ascension to the top of the NBA mountain has been made firmly on the back of the one they call The King.

James, who was a callow 22 the year the Cavs went to the Finals, is averaging 28.3 points this season, second in the league only to Dwyane Wade. His assists (7.3 per game) are at an career high, as is his field-goal percentage (48.5).

In most NBA outposts, James is considered the front-runner to collect his first league MVP award at season's end.

Gooden spent parts of four seasons in Cleveland, before being dealt to Chicago at the 2008 trade deadline. From afar, he has noticed a change in his most famous former teammate.

"I see him taking control of the fourth quarter, winning games for them," Gooden said. "If it's coming down to the fourth quarter, and it's close, there's a great chance they're going to win."

The Spurs catch the Cavs amid what, for them, constitutes a rough patch.

Cleveland saw its 13-game winning streak end in Washington on Thursday night, then followed that up with a 116-87 embarrassment at Orlando on Friday. For the Cavs, it marks just the second two-game losing streak of the season.

"It's not about how many games you lose, it's about how you lose them," said James, whose team trailed the Magic by 40 at one point. "The last two games weren't how we play Basketball."

If Gooden knows his former team as he thinks he does, the Cavaliers will be foaming at the mouth this afternoon.

"They're going to be kind of riled up," Gooden predicted.

It will be Gooden's first trip back to Cleveland this season. Seeing the silver and black of the Spurs on the court at the Q is sure to bring back memories for him.

Not that he has many, or wants many.

"I just remember how fast the series went by," Gooden said. "It was a four-game blur."