James pumps up Cleveland’s win

For days, LeBron James insisted that facing the NBA champions in January was no ordinary regular-season game.

He and the Cleveland Cavaliers proved it Friday night, beating the Boston Celtics, 98-83, in a game filled with playoff-like intensity.

James scored 38 points, harassed Paul Pierce all over the floor and continued to make his case for the league’s most valuable player as the Cavaliers improved to 19-0.

James scored 23 in the second half. He added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. After the Cavaliers had built their lead to 20 points in the second half, Cleveland fans began chanting “M-V-P!”

“We want to continue to protect our home court, and we want to continue to get better,” James said. “We don’t want to take a step back because we got a big picture and a big goal. You don’t want to waste a game. We got really better tonight.”

With James leading the way, the Cavaliers handed the Celtics their second-worst loss of the season and dropped them to 2-7 since opening 27-2.

Boston had to resort to fouling Ben Wallace to try to trim Cleveland’s lead in the fourth, but the strategy wasn’t effective enough as Cleveland’s forward, a 44% free-throw shooter, dropped four of eight free throws in a two-minute stretch.

Pierce, who came in averaging 19.5 points, was limited to 11 on four-for-15 shooting. Boston’s leading scorer only got into double digits after James turned him over to Wally Szczerbiak in the fourth.

“We’re good,” Pierce said. “That’s the God’s honest truth. Nobody likes losing, but we’re going to stay positive. That’s our strength as a team.”

Added Celtics Coach Doc Rivers: “We have some money in the bank with the 19-game winning streak. We’re making a withdrawal we don’t want to make right now, but we’re still 29-9. This is a tough stretch. I don’t like it. But we’re going to right the ship. When? I don’t know.”