CLEVELAND — LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas made more history together Tuesday night.
Cleveland’s superstar forward became the franchise’s career leader in steals while Ilgauskas, the Cavaliers’ beloved big man, moved to the top of the team’s rebounding chart.
By swiping a Toronto pass in the opening minute, James eclipsed Mark Price’s steals record. Price set the previous standard of 734 steals in 582 career games for Cleveland from 1986-95. James, already the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer, has played in just 412 games since turning pro in 2003.
During a timeout, James’ record was announced and Cleveland’s crowd rose and gave a standing ovation for the Olympic gold medalist, who raised his arms overhead in return.
Ilgauskas, who has overcome numerous injuries to both feet during 11 seasons in the league, overtook Brad Daugherty (5,227) as the Cavs’ top rebounder in the second quarter.
On a missed 3-pointer by Jason Kapono, both Ilgauskas and James were in perfect position to grab the ball. But when James realized Ilgauskas was next to him, he pulled his hands away so the man they call “Z” could bend down and pick the ball off the floor.
Like the Price-Daughtery tandem before them, the James-Ilgauskas duo has been at the forefront of Cleveland’s NBA resurgence.
When the Cavaliers beat Detroit to win their first Eastern Conference title in 2007, James rushed across the floor to embrace Ilgauskas, a 7-foot-3 center with deft outside shooting touch whose well-rounded game hasn’t always been appreciated by Cleveland fans.
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