Incredible LeBron James scores 44 as he leads the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory over Boston Celtics to level series
The 33-year-old adds five rebounds and three assists to his sixth 40-point performance of this year’s play-offs
James added five rebounds and three assists to his sixth 40-point performance of this year’s play-offs – the most 40-point play-off efforts in a single year since Allen Iverson in 2001.
“I’ve just put a lot of work in,” said James of his scoring heroics at the age of 33. “The Man Above has given me some abilities I try to take advantage of. I take care of my body and try to put myself in position to do the best I can.”
The best-of-seven showdown continues on Wednesday in Boston, where the Celtics are undefeated in these play-offs, with game six on Friday in Cleveland, where the Cavs have won seven in a row.
“There’s no love in there if you’re not wearing green,” James said. “They are playing extremely confident. If we play like we did in (games) three and four, I think we’ll have a good shot.”
The winner will face either defending champion Golden State or season wins leader Houston in the NBA Finals starting May 31.
James had five points in a 10-0 run that gave the Cavs a 19-10 edge on the way to a 34-18 lead after the first quarter, Cleveland closing the period on a 13-3 run and the Celtics missing three dunks in the opening 12 minutes.
James scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half and Kyle Korver added 14 points off the bench – all in the first half – as the Cavaliers seized a 68-53 half-time advantage.
Although the Celtics trailed by as many as 19 in the second quarter, they trimmed the deficit to 89-76 entering the fourth quarter.
“We cut it back to eight in the fourth. We had some shots we’d like to have back,” Stevens said. “All I want is for us to take good shots. We’ve got to play better than we did.”
Tristan Thompson added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 25 points while Jason Tatum netted 17, Terry Rozier contributed 16 points and 11 assists and Al Horford added 15 points.