LeBron James scored 51 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out eight assists, and it still wasn’t enough for the Cavs to earn a win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors overcame James’ monster performance, outlasting Cleveland 124-114 in overtime.
LeBron is the first player to drop 50 points in a Finals game since Michael Jordan did it 25 years ago.
JR Smith’s late-game blunder and a controversial blocking foul on James added to the Cavs’ frustrations in the series opener.
Per the AP:
“Tonight we played as well as we’ve played all postseason, and we gave ourselves a chance possession after possession after possession,” James said. “There were just some plays that were kind of taken away from us. Simple as that.”
James had his highest-scoring playoff game ever, tied Jerry West for the most 40-point games in a single postseason with eight and almost single-handedly led the Cavs to the win.
“It was epic,” [Tyronn] Lue said “He did enough to carry this team to a victory. We just came up short. But this is LeBron James, that’s who he is. That’s why he’s the best player in the world. He’s been doing it for us all season.
“To do what he did tonight and come out robbed, it’s just not right.”
