bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

An hour after what he called the best regular-season game he's ever played, LeBron James simply explained why this performance was like none other.
The basketball, he said, felt small as a golf ball.
The basket, to him, looked as wide as the ocean.
Best player in the game. Best game of his career. James rewrote his record book, etched his name a few different times in Miami Heat annals as well, and let the NBA know in crystal-clear terms that his MVP award won't be ceded without a fight this season.

	The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball. I just try to take advantage of it every night.

	LeBron James
He scored 61 points, setting career- and franchise-bests, as the Heat topped the Charlotte Bobcats 124-107.
"A surreal feeling for me right now," James said.
With good reason. He made 22 of his 33 field-goal tries, becoming just the third player in the past 25 years to take that many shots and make at least two-thirds of them, with only Alex English and Shaquille O'Neal on that list.
James set a career-high for field goals made, plus Heat records for points in a quarter (25) and a half (37).
Of his feats, the most impressive might be how he started 8 for 8 from three-point range.
"The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball," James said. "I just try to take advantage of it every night. I got the trust of my teammates and my coaching staff to go in there and let it go."
Glen Rice scored 56 to set the Heat record on April 15, 1995, against Orlando. James' previous career best had been 56 points, on March 20, 2005, for Cleveland against Toronto.
This outing was much better, James said. Not because 61 tops 56 - but because the night he scored 56, his Cavaliers lost.
"Phenomenal, amazing, stupendous ... he reminds me of me," Heat forward Chris Bosh said in an overjoyed locker room.
James had 24 points at halftime, then added 25 in the third quarter. The record-breaker came with 5:46 left, when James spun through and around three defenders for a lay-up that fell as he tumbled to the court.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra later had a confession: He nearly took James out after the third quarter.
He didn't. Good call.
"He was in a great groove, obviously," Spoelstra said.
Here's how good James was on this night: Al Jefferson finished with 38 points and 19 rebounds for the Bobcats, making him just the fourth player in the past six seasons to put up a stat line like that. No one noticed.
"I felt pretty good in the first half but half-time can always kind of derail things and slow things up," James said. "But I was able to get things going once again in the third quarter and I knew it could be one of those nights."
Not "one of those nights".
Even for James, this was like no other.
When James checked out with 1:24 left, the entire Heat roster met him near midcourt for high-fives and hugs, and the sellout crowd gave him a standing ovation. A second huge roar followed when he waved to the crowd, as "M-V-P" chants rained down.
James has been asked plenty of times about the MVP race, especially with many suggesting the trophy is heading to Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant.
Might be time to reopen the thinking on that one.
"Every night I go on the floor I want to be the MVP, of this league, MVP of this team, MVP for me, myself and my family," James said. "I've set a high standard and I have to live by that."
On this night, he did. And more.


Who are the NBA’s ‘most viewed’ players, and where does rookie Cooper Flagg rank?

Cooper Flagg makes NBA history with 42-point game, but laments Mavericks’ loss to Jazz

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra collection has a new fan base in male athletes and rappers, from Drake to Junior Caminero

NBA bosses overwhelmingly back Oklahoma City Thunder to repeat as league champions

LeBron James

LeBron James scores career-best 61 as Miami Heat beat Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats' Chris Douglas-Robert tries to block Miami Heat's LeBron James during Monday's encounter. Photo: AP

Sport

Other Sport

Miami Heat star says it was his best ever regular-season game as he dominated the Charlotte Bobcats and set several franchise records


LeBron James scores career-best 61 as Miami Heat beat Charlotte Bobcats

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Miami Heat star says it was his best ever regular-season game as he dominated the Charlotte Bobcats and set several franchise records

Miami Heat star says it was his best ever regular-season game as he dominated the Charlotte Bobcats and set several franchise records