Cleveland superstar LeBron James surpassed NBA icon Michael Jordan as the league’s all-time playoff scoring leader on May 25, 2017, in the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference finals victory over the Celtics in Boston. With a three-pointer with 2:40 left in the third quarter James, 32, surpassed Jordan’s 5,987 playoff points. He entered the contest needing 28 points to pass Jordan and finished with a game-high 35 points for a total of 5,995.
/ AFP PHOTO
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James matched one of NBA icon Michael Jordan’s more impressive feats Wednesday as he scored in double figures for the 866th consecutive game.
James finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the Cavs’ 118-105 victory over the Jordan-owned Hornets in Charlotte.
He hit double digits in the second quarter with an alley-oop dunk off a pass from JR Smith.
“Anytime I’m in the same conversation with Mike and other great guys it lets me know I’m doing the right thing,” said James, whose streak began on January 6, 2007.
Jordan put together his streak from 1986-2001.
“To all my teammates over the 866 games, my coaches, everybody — they’ve given me the opportunity to do that,” James said. “It’s very humbling.”
Prior to the game, Cleveland’s acting head coach Larry Drew called it a “phenomenal” feat.
“There are going to be more records down the road he’ll be breaking if he continues at this pace if he continues to stay healthy and he continues to produce the numbers that he’s been producing,” Drew said.
But James said records aren’t what motivates him.
“My motivation is the love of the game,” he said.
James’s effort propelled the Cavs to a bounce-back win after a disappointing defeat to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday — when they produced a season-low 79 points.
“We had to bounce back,” said James, whose Cavs are trying to reach the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year.
They’re just half a game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for third place in the Eastern Conference and played Wednesday without Kevin Love, who suffered a concussion in Miami.
“Miami did a great job of pushing us out of our comfort zone and we wanted to come in here tonight and try to get that back, and we did that,” said James.
Smith provided 19 points off the bench, connecting on eight of his nine shots from the floor. Jeff Green added 18 points and Rodney Hood scored 13.
Dwight Howard led the Hornets with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Kemba Walker finished with 21 points and passed Dell Curry (9,839 points) as the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer.
Walker needed 20 points to pass Curry — the father of Warriors star Stephen Curry — and scored 11 in the final quarter when the Cavs were in control.
When the buzzer sounded, James congratulated Walker, who has voiced frustration at missing the playoffs yet again.
“I told him I know he wants to do bigger things with this franchise,” James said. “But moments like this, you can never take for granted no matter what’s going on.
“For him to be the all-time leading scorer of a franchise, that’s a pretty remarkable feat.”
© Agence France-Presse