Will Shaq and LeBron finally give the Cavaliers the championship they so desperately want?

In his first season with the Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal did nothing to help his team get past the first round of the playoffs. In his second season with Phoenix, the Suns — with stars Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill — didn't even make the playoffs.

So what can O'Neal possibly be expected to achieve as a Cleveland Cavalier? Well, maybe the difference here is LeBron James.

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Today, the NBA released its regular-season schedule for 2008-09, which includes a blockbuster opening night. In the first game, defending champs Boston will take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers while Greg Oden will make his long-awaited NBA debut against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the second contest.

The following night, two of the biggest offseason moves from the Eastern Conference will be on display as Elton Brand and his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates square off against Jermaine O'Neal and his new Raptors running mates.

Some other intriguing matchups on the ledger include: A Halloween night affair between San Antonio and Portland, featuring Tim Duncan vs. Oden; the first Lakers-Suns matchup on November 20th, where Shaq can ask Kobe how his ass tastes; a crazy Christmas quintuple featuring Hornets-Magic, Spurs-Suns, Wizards-Cavs, Mavericks-Blazers and, of course, Celtics-Lakers.

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Named to the 2008 USA Basketball Senior National Team were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks); Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).

Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski will be the head coach.

“This has been, to say the least, an extremely difficult selection process. The 33 players who committed to be part of the USA Senior National Team program and have been involved in our various training camps and competitions the past two summers deserve recognition and acknowledgment for their contributions and for their commitment to their country,” Senior National team managing director Jerry Colangelo said.

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People with too much time on their hands are calling the latest cover of Vogue racist. (Courtesy Vogue)

Slow news day, people. Slow news day.

This Vogue cover that features supermodel Gisele Bundchen and NBA star LeBron James is facing criticism that it may perpetuate racial stereotypes. Serious eyeroll.

Some pot-stirring bloggers and over-the-top conservatives say that James' bared teeth with one arm gripping Bundchen's waist, perpetuates the stereotypes of black athletes as animalistic savages.

LeBron, who is the first black man to grace the Vogue cover, justified the shot, saying:

"It wasn't a situation we're being rough or looking mean," James said. "Just showing a little emotion. We had a few looks, and that was the best one we had … Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way. Who cares what anyone says?"

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The King of Cleveland dropped 28 points on Toronto. (AP Images)

It tells you how good LeBron James is and how mediocre the Cleveland Cavaliers have been for most of their history that the NBA All-Star needed less than five seasons to become the team’s all-time leading scorer.

James passed Brad Daugherty (bad beard) with a 28-point performance Friday night as he led the Cavs to a 90-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena.

LeBron leads the league in scoring this year and has 10,414 points in 380 games in his career; Daugherty needed 548 games to set the old team mark of 10,389.

Against the Raptors, James scored 23 points after intermission to lead the Cavs to their ninth straight win at home. He also had 12 rebounds as Cleveland covered the point spread, which was five.

In other NBA action on Friday:

Orlando 113, Philadelphia 95: Dwight Howard notched his league-leading 61st double-double of the year as he put up 13 points and 12 rebounds to power the Magic at home. Rashard Lewis had a team-high 18 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 16 for Orlando, which was favored by five.

Washington 103, Miami 86: Caron Butler scored 25 points to lead the favored Wizards on the road. Antawn Jamison added 22 points and 10 rebounds.

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LeBron James jams home two of his 27 points on Sunday. (AP Images)

Off the court, LeBron James keeps insisting Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA. On the floor, though, James' play says something different.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar racked up his second NBA All-Star Game MVP award in three seasons as he led the Eastern Conference to an upset victory over the Western Conference on Sunday night in New Orleans.

James scored 27 points, dished nine assists and pulled down eight rebounds in the 134-128 win. Boston’s Ray Allen had a game-high 28 points and hit a key three-pointer late in the contest. A day after Dwight Howard wowed fans with his performance in the Slam Dunk Contest, the Orlando Magic forward delivered 16 points and nine rebounds for the East.

The Western Conference was favored by seven against the point spread. The betting total was over 263. James had NBA prop odds of 5/1 to be named MVP.

Brandon Roy of Portland was one of three West players with 18 points. The others were Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. Hometown hero Chris Paul of the Hornets had 16 points. Bryant played less than three minutes because of a finger injury.

The regular season resumes Tuesday.

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