When he felt it was time to get up, he had a choice of about 10 hands willing to help him up; his entire team was standing over him waiting for the honor. They, too, wanted a piece of the moment

When it's all said and done, James' performance at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night might go down as one of his all-time greats, and everyone in the building was aware of the moment.

Most of the time, no matter what the statistic sheet says, the Cavaliers always defer to the final score being their barometer. They won that tally, beating the Knicks, 107-102, but that seemed somewhat trivial to James' efforts.

The Cavs star put up 52 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the world's most famous arena on the second night of a back-to-back while battling cramps and fatigue.

"You saw every phase of my game tonight," James said. "I never thought you'd look at box score and see 50 points and a triple double."

No one has had a game like that - 50 points in a triple-double performance in the NBA since 1975, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it. Counting his 50-point game in the building last March, he's the only player besides Michael Jordan to score more than 50 points twice.

It was James' sixth career 50-point game, all of them coming on the road, and it was his 21st career triple double, fourth of the season.

"Any time you can be put in a class with a guy like Michael Jordan or Kareem, it means a lot," James said. "To be mentioned in the same breath is an honor for me. Two of the best guys to have ever played this game."

With the fans expecting a huge encore from James after Kobe Bryant set a record with 61 points at the Garden on Monday, James delivered in a major way.

He might not have matched Bryant in the point total - for now, he'll have to settle for the third-most points ever by a visiting player in New York after Bryant and Michael Jordan's 55 points in 1995 - but the all around performance was in the top echelon of James' already illustrious career.

Right down to the final seconds, when he dove for the final rebound to secure the extra bit of history and banged his head against a cameraman chasing it down. Which brought all his teammates out to make sure he was OK and to celebrate.

"I don't know how it happened and why he's able to do some of the things he does," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "I'm just amazed. I don't know how he does it."

The Cavs (39-9), who have now won four games in a row, needed all of it. They were depleted again with Sasha Pavlovic and Lorenzen Wright out with the flu, and Delonte West still injured. Against a perimeter-based team like the Knicks (21-27), it was a challenge.

Especially on a night when the Knicks played well. Al Harrington tried to match James with 39 points and 13 rebounds, and the Knicks chased and put pressure on all night.

Along with James, Wally Szczerbiak played 40 effective minutes after playing 44 in Tuesday's win in Cleveland. Szczerbiak had his first double double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas also played an important role with 15 points and eight rebounds.

But in the end, it was all about James, who twice had to call timeout battling cramps in the fourth quarter. He finished 17-of-33 from the field and 16-of-19 at the foul line to etch another big-time Garden moment.

"It's not the same as any other road game, it's the mecca of Basketball," James said. "It's like you're on stage playing, not on just a court."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166

Game reset

Cavaliers 107, Knicks 102 Game No. 48, at Madison Square Garden

What happened

LeBron James and Wally Szczerbiak played perhaps their best games of the season, and the shorthanded and tired Cavs needed every drop. The trio of James, Szczerbiak and Zydrunas Ilgauskas combined for 79 points, 31 rebounds and 13 assists.

The star

James had perhaps the greatest statistical regular-season game of his career with 52 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He's the first player to record a triple double with 50 points since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975.

Showtime

James' driving layup in traffic for his 50th point with 1:16 left in the game gave the Cavs key separation in the win.

Lowlight

The game had to end.