CLEVELAND _ We thought we had witnessed it all.
Then LeBron James turned in a season filled with jaw-dropping feats that belied his 33 years.
It didn't matter that James' miraculous 15th season ended with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter of Wednesday night's 110-98 loss to the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. It couldn't obscure all he'd done.
James played all 82 games for the first time in his 15-year career.
He averaged 27.5 points, his most since 2009-10. He recorded career-highs in triple-doubles (18) and double-doubles (52), one shy of Brad Daugherty's single-season franchise record. James averaged career-bests in assists (9.1) and rebounds (8.7). He played 3,026 minutes, his most since 2009-10.
He became the youngest player to score 30,000 career points on Jan. 23 at San Antonio, then went on to reach 31,000 on April 6 at Philadelphia.
James also became the first player in league history to win 10 consecutive division titles.
Against the Knicks, James scored 10 points to run his NBA record double-digit scoring streak to 873 games. He got the five rebounds he needed to average his career best. He added two assists in his 11 minutes. He also set the franchise single-season record for turnovers, committing three to give him 347, surpassing Ron Harper's 345 in 1986-87.
James was also trying to lead the league in total points for first time in his career and finished with 2,251. Houston's James Harden was second with 2,191 going into Wednesday night's game at Sacramento.
"It's crazy," close friend and newly signed Cavalier Kendrick Perkins said. "I watch him. Like off the court we hang out a lot. I watch how he takes care of his body, I watch how he gets treatment around the clock. I think it was a couple weeks back I read an article, and I'm like, 'Dang, he spent $1.5 to $2 million on his body. That's a serious investment.'
"But it shows and that's why he's able to do what he's been doing at this age. Everybody will be like, 'Man, Bron got to be doing something,' and I'm like, 'No, he actually put in the groundwork and everything you see is because he sacrificed.' It's amazing to watch."
No knows James' motivation to play 82 games. It could have been to enhance his MVP candidacy, showcase the superb shape of his body or carry the Cavs through a drama-filled season marked by injuries, turmoil and coach Tyronn Lue's nine-game leave of absence. Most likely it was all three.
Whether it was a wise move to start all 82 will play out over the next few weeks. Or the next two months if the Cavs manage to jell and James continues to perform at an otherworldly level.
Before the game, Lue said he valued James' health over seeding. The Cavs came in needing a victory over the Knicks and a 76ers loss to the Bucks to leap past Philadelphia and grab the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, which open Saturday.
It didn't matter, anyway, with the 76ers jumping out to an 80-44 halftime lead over the Bucks en route to their 16th consecutive victory.
The Cavs (50-32) finished as the fourth seed and will hold home-court advantage in their first-round matchup with the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers. The Cavs went 1-3 vs. the Pacers in the regular season.
Should the Cavs reach their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, it's possible the Cavs could take the same path as last season by defeating the Paces, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, who are without Kyrie Irving for the postseason.
The Cavs fell one victory shy of last season's total, a remarkable feat considering the Aug. 22 trade of Irving.
James wasn't the only regular who soon became a spectator. Lue sat out center Kevin Love (sore right hip) and guards Kyle Korver (sore right foot) and Rodney Hood (sore left Achilles).
Lue explained why he intended to yank James when he reached 10 points, even with seeding on the line.
"Bron's health is more important than anything. If he was to tweak an ankle or anything, then we could be in some trouble," Lue said. "We're going to play to win still. It's just we're going to play to win without LeBron. We understand that Milwaukee is playing all their guys tonight to try to beat Philly. But we want to be smart because since I've been here, we always preach health over positioning."
Perkins got into the game with 6:52 left in the third quarter and scored three points with two assists in 14 minutes.
John Holland led the Cavs with 21 points and five assists, and rookie Ante Zizic scored a career-high 20 points with seven rebounds. Rookie Cedi Osman pitched in 18 points with seven rebounds and six assists and Tristan Thompson added 10 points and nine rebounds.
