LeBron James puzzled by elbow injury

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James' ambidexterity makes him special, perhaps the most skilled basketball player on the planet.

James can drive, dribble and create with either hand. It's not widely known that James writes with his left. He never shoots free throws that way.

He did Tuesday.

Bothered by a puzzling injury that numbs his elbow, James curiously launched and missed a free throw left-handed in the closing seconds of Cleveland's 96-94 playoff win over Chicago, adding some unexpected late-night drama to the Cavaliers advancing to a second-round matchup against Boston.

James revealed afterward that the elbow has been troubling him for weeks. He underwent treatment Wednesday and is expected to have further testing done before Saturday's Game 1.

X-rays and an MRI taken on Monday showed no obvious structural damage, but clearly something is wrong with James' elbow, which he has covered recently with a padded, protective sleeve.

"I don't know, honestly, what's going on with it," James said after finishing one assist shy of a triple-double in Game 5. "I've done tests to try and figure this thing out, but it almost feels like you hit your funny bone and it kind of numbs up for a little bit.

"It bothers me more because I don't actually know what it is. We'll figure it out. I've never had a problem with my elbow before."

A Cavs spokesman said the team will provide a medical update after James is evaluated. The team did not practice on Wednesday, giving the puzzling injury another day's rest.

James said he isn't concerned about the elbow and doesn't think it's serious.

If so, then why did he refuse to discuss his elbow when asked about it before the game?

If it's no big deal, then why did he and the Cavaliers essentially hide the injury for weeks?

And, if it's not serious, then why does it seem to be getting worse?

The Cavs are counting on James to be himself in what promises to be a physical series with Boston. The Celtics, written off as too old and on the decline entering the postseason, look ready to challenge the league's best team after easily dispatching the Miami Heat in five games.

After being outplayed in long stretches by the scrappy Bulls, the Cavaliers have enough to worry about as they prepare for their second series in three years against the Celtics. Throw in James' injury, which flared up in Games 4 and 5 against the Bulls, and there could be cause for some legitimate concern.

Maybe as troubling as James' elbow was his decision to shoot his second free throw -- arguably his biggest of the season -- lefty with 7.8 seconds to go.

When he stepped to the line, the Cavs were leading 95-92. James then calmly drained his first free-throw attempt, but seconds after the ball went through the net, he began shaking his right arm, hoping to get some feeling back before his second shot.

James briefly looked at Cleveland coach Mike Brown and asked if the Cavs had another timeout. They had one left. But with the Quicken Loans Crowd raging, coach and player failed to communicate.

"I couldn't hear him," Brown said following the game. "Apparently, he wanted to take a timeout to get his elbow stretched or looked at or something like that. I did not pick up on it at that time and so he shot the free throw left-handed."

Poorly. The shot clanged off the right side of the rim, missing so badly some thought he may have been trying to miss intentionally. But James later said he chose to shoot left-handed because his right arm was numb and he felt the Cavs were in control with a four-point lead.

"If I had to make it, I'd have tried it with my right hand," he explained.

It's hard to imagine a player like James, who prides himself on his knowledge of the game, believing a four-point lead was safe. There was still plenty of time for the Bulls to push the ball up the floor, score, foul and extend the game by putting the Cavs at the line.

It didn't work out that way. It could have.

James has a flair for the dramatic. Whether accentuating a dunk with a dance move or overplaying a minor injury, he's always putting on a show. He is, after all, an entertainer.

"I do my job," he said when asked about always drawing the spotlight. "I show up to work and I try to do my job at a high level individually and be the leader I am on and off court. As far as the dramatics, I guess it comes with how I do my job at a high level. Am I apologizing for that? No."Tiger's golf rehab takes 2nd step at Quail Hollow

PETE IACOBELLI,AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tiger Woods hopes his second step back on the PGA Tour is even better than his first.

Woods' golf rehab continues Thursday at the Quail Hollow Championship, three weeks after he ended a five-month hiatus from the game at the Masters. Woods tied for fourth at Augusta National, a remarkable feat given the sex scandal that destroyed the foundations of his old life and made his new one fodder for every tabloid and news magazine.

But the spotlight's glare isn't nearly as bright at Quail Hollow Club, and this time Woods is armed with two-plus weeks of work on what didn't go right at Augusta.

"There were some things I didn't like in my golf swing, so I started to work on that, simplify things a little bit, got everything more fine-tuned," Woods said Wednesday. "And I feel very comfortable."

Woods and Phil Mickelson head one of the year's best fields at Quail Hollow, which has the feel of a major. Everywhere you looked, fans who took off from work and skipped school lined the course during the pro-am that included celebrities like new Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, four-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson and North Carolina football coach Butch Davis.

Mickelson couldn't make it to the end of his round, withdrawing after five holes with an illness. He was treated for dehydration at an on-course medical center, but was still expected to make his first-round tee time at 12:50 p.m.

A big question facing Woods was whether the large, public gallery at Quail Hollow might lead to Tiger catcalls and shenanigans that Augusta National took pains to prevent.

Security is beefed up here, too. But on Wednesday, Woods was treated as respectfully as he was by the Masters crowd, applauded at just about every fairway and green.

"Tiger, win this tournament," came a shout as Woods walked down the 16th fairway. Woods acknowledged the good wishes with a wave.

Woods again showed off his softened persona, smiling to sign a few autographs between the 16th and 17th holes.

"As far as the fans here over the years, they've been great," Woods said after the round. "There's no reason why that shouldn't continue."

There's also no reason to think -- as long as he recuperates -- that Quail Hollow crowds won't continue to shower Mickelson with cheers as golf's deserving good guy.

How could you not be drawn into the tale? Mickelson's third Masters win followed a year of turmoil during which both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer.

"For me, personally, it's probably the most important win that I've had," Mickelson said.

The aw' shucks feel continued the morning after the Masters win, Mickelson complete with green jacket in the drivethru at Krispy Kreme buying glazed doughnuts for his three children.

"It was a little chilly, so I threw on a jacket," Mickelson joked.

The Masters winner spent his first week mostly goofing around with his kids, attending school events and taking in a San Diego Padres game.

The past five or six days, Mickelson says, he's worked to bring his game back to Augusta level.

"So I certainly have high expectations this week and next" for The Players Championship, Mickelson said.

Woods has those same expectations -- and he feels he's closer to his winning form than a few weeks ago.

He was angered about his play when the Masters ended -- remember that greenside TV interview? -- but has come to appreciate what he accomplished over the past few weeks.

"Given a little time to reflect on it, it was an incredible week," Woods said. "I think it went as well as it could have possibly gone."

Not everything's easier, Woods acknowledged. He was criticized by some for recently attending a Nickelback concert. And he can't go anywhere outside his house without cameras there to show his actions to the world.

"Helicopters, here and there, people driving by," he said. "Paparazzi camping out in front of the gates. That hasn't changed."

Instead, he'll measure his comeback by the less frenzied atmosphere he faces and his improving golf swing, both of which give him hope that success is not far off.

"I have to say this feels a heck of a lot more normal than the Masters did," Woods said.