NBA: 24 second clock

Get this: LeBron James listens to Barry Manilow. Or Brian Manilow.

A big fan of all styles of music, Cleveland's superstar always gets ready for games by listening to hip-hop. On Thursday before facing the Denver Nuggets, James walked into the Cavaliers' locker room wearing headphones and bouncing as a track by rap star Jay-Z, one of his good friends, blared in his ears.

James said Jay-Z is almost always his choice before taking the floor, but he has diverse musical taste and enjoys R&B and alternative rock. He was asked if he ever listens to sports talk radio on his way home after a game.

"Never," he said. "Ever."

James was then informed that Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, his longtime friend and U.S. Olympic teammate, admitted last year that he had Barry Manilow's music on his iPod.

"I probably got a little of that," James said. "I bet you I can find it on my iPod."

"I bet you couldn't," a reporter said, challenging James, who then reached into a bag holding his personal player.

"Let's see," James said, scrolling through the menu. "Go ahead, ask a question. I'm going to look for it."

A few moments later, no luck.

"Nope," James said. "No Brian Manilow."

As the room broke up in laughter, James corrected his error.

"Oh, Barry Manilow," he said, smiling. "I was talking about his cousin."

James then continued his search, and sure enough, he came up with some Barry Manilow tunes, showing "Copacabana," "Mandy" and "I Am Your Child" on his varied playlist. ...

The Toronto Raptors survived the loss of their starting point guard last season because they had a quality backup.

Now that T.J. Ford is gone and Jose Calderon is the starter, they no longer have that luxury.

Calderon left in the third quarter of Toronto's 106-96 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday with an injured right hamstring and Toronto coach Sam Mitchell wasn't sure if he will be available for the Raptors' next game, today against Miami.