NBA.com reports: They knew what was coming, but weren’t even close to stopping it. With the Cavs down by one and 4.9 ticks left, Cleveland sent its inbounds pass to LeBron James, who demonstrated why he is truly the king of the clutch. James blasted past the defending Brandon Roy, seeped through LaMarcus Aldridge and went around the extended arms of Travis Outlaw to drain a game-winning last-second layup to give the Cavs a thrilling road triumph over the Blazers. It was the finishing touch to a 17-point fourth quarter for the King, who brought the Cavs back from an 11-point final-period deficit. “We stepped up too late,” Roy said of Portland’s defense on LeBron’s final drive. “Once he got to into the paint we didn’t want to foul him so a couple of guys shied away. We’ve got to force him into a jump shot in that situation.” Cleveland has now won five straight games on the road, its longest streak since April 1998.

After Orlando Magic defended home court Saturday night by beating Portland 101-94, InsideHoops.com had a chance to catch up with Joel Przybilla, who is doing more than just holding down the center position until Greg Oden returns next season. The 7-1, 255-pound Przybilla is averaging 7.3 rebounds a game in just 21 minutes per contest for the Blazers who have won 20 of their last 24 games.
The interview is .

The Portland Trail Blazers assigned rookie forward Josh McRoberts to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced Wednesday by Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard.
“We look forward to seeing Josh gain more experience through increased floor time with the Stampede,� said Pritchard. “Giving him the chance to log some minutes will help Josh with his professional development this season.�
McRoberts, 20, is averaging 1.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 2.3 minutes in three games with the Trail Blazers this season after being selected by Portland with the 37th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
The Duke University product becomes the 23rd NBA player assigned to the D-League this season, and the fifth in Trail Blazers history.
This is the first season the Trail Blazers are affiliated with the Boise-based Stampede.

NBA.com reports: They might not be the flashiest or most talented team in the league, but is there any team playing with more heart than the Portland Blazers right now? Portland won 10 at home during its 13-game winning streak and lost in Utah on Monday, leaving many to believe that its recent hot streak was a result of easy home scheduling. But after rallying from 14 down in the second half and outlasting the Bulls in a 115-109 double-overtime road decision on the second day of a back-to-back Thursday, you can’t help but think Brandon Roy and Co. are for real. Roy, who is not even among the top 10 vote-getters for Western Conference guards, tallied 25 points and 11 assists, while Travis Outlaw scored 21, including a big three-point play down the stretch.

InsideHoops.com NewsWire: The Detroit Pistons’ Flip Saunders and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Nate McMillan today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.
Saunders guided the Pistons to a 15-2 (.882) record last month as Detroit established a franchise mark for wins in December. Holding eight of their last 10 December opponents to 90 points or less, the Pistons are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak. At 24-7, Detroit enjoys a 9.5-game lead in the Central Division. The Pistons handed the Celtics their first home loss of the season on Dec. 19 when Detroit posted an 87-85 victory in Boston.
McMillan led the Trail Blazers to a 13-2 (.867) record in December, which included 13 straight wins from Dec. 3 through Dec. 30. The 13-game winning streak is the second-longest in Trail Blazers history and tops in the NBA this season. At 18-13, Portland is second in the Northwest Division, trailing Denver by one-half game. The Trail Blazers defeated the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on Dec. 16, their first win in Denver since Feb. 26, 2003.
Other nominees for the Coach of the Month were Atlanta’s Mike Woodson, Boston’s Doc Rivers, Dallas’ Avery Johnson, Golden State’s Don Nelson, New Orleans’ Byron Scott and Philadelphia’s Maurice Cheeks.