LeBron James Doesn't Rest on His Laurels

Maybe it is time for Derrick Rose to take up gardening. Or something.

While he's pondering his next move in life and Isaiah Thomas keeps seeing his projected return pushed back, the Cleveland Cavaliers have found their mojo and cruising right along, thank you very much.

After whipping Philadelphia, 113-91, at the Center -- a story in itself -- the Cavs' winning streak has extended to eight games.

Of course, there are 1½ obvious reasons for this.

Ol' buddy-ol' pal Dwayne Wade came off the bench to pop 15 points in 25 minutes, which was rather useful to Cleveland's cause.

But, as usual, when LeBron James goes mega, well ...

That sequence further confirms why dude's The Dude.

Most of the time.

Joel Embiid did his bit for the Sixers, matching James point-for-point and nearly doing so on the boards, 13-11.

And yet, his -23 to James's +1 is probably the most telling stat as to the future Hall-of-Famer's versatility and why the Cavs are on the current run they are.

Clearly, James's ability to sustain a pace like this becomes more and more of a question with each passing season.

Cleveland's got their first back-to-backer tomorrow night when they return home to entertain Miami. The Heat have strung together three straight victories themselves, including a 104-98 snapping of Boston's 16-game winning streak.

Taking the long view, the Cavaliers have pulled within four games of the Eastern-leading Celtics with two games in hand. They're back in the race for top seed.

Of course, when James is in mega-mode, they're never out.