James said the fact that the Heat is only a few games above .500 and the Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams battling for best record in the league shouldn't count against Wade.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the same thing.

"We're thinking he should be involved in every MVP discussion in the league," he said. "If you take a look at our franchise, where we're coming from, 15 wins last year and the fact we're playing the second-youngest rotation in the league, things don't change just like that. There's something that has to be going on right now. There has to be some kind of greatness, and a lot of that should be attributed to Dwyane."

James said he always appreciates playing against Wade. He said games blend seamlessly but there are few on-court comparisons.

"He's a totally different player than me," James said. "I think his approach to the game is different from mine. What we do pick up from each other is approach to the game, and that's a winning mentality each time we go out on the court. We try to lead our team and try to facilitate to our teammates and try to get them in the game. We know we can always turn it on when we want to."

CAVALIERS 107, HEAT 100: Guard Dwyane Wade finished with 41 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and a career-high seven steals. But LeBron James finished with 42 points, eight rebounds and four assists, including 12 fourth-quarter points and perhaps the nastiest one-handed dunk of the season.

James went 6-for-7 on 3-pointers.

"When he shoots 6-for-7 from 3," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "... that makes it tough."

This game capped quite a stretch for Wade. He had a career-best 50 points at Orlando on Feb. 22. He had a career-best 16 assists against Detroit three games ago. And he had a 24-point fourth quarter against New York on Saturday.

Still, the Heat would have preferred the victory.

"It was extremely big," forward Udonis Haselm said of the loss.