James Sets Record for Most Points Through 3 Games of NBA Finals Series
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has scored 123 points while carrying his team to a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, setting a new record for most points through the first three games of a Finals series, per ESPN Stats & Info.
James tied and broke the old mark of 122—set by Rick Barry in 1967—when he sunk a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining to essentially clinch Tuesday's 96-91 Game 3 victory.
He finished the contest with a game-high 40 points, having made 14 of his 34 field-goal attempts, two of his six three-point attempts and 10 of his 12 free-throw attempts.
James also added 12 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks, making him the first player in NBA Finals history to reach 40 points, 12 boards, eight assists and four steals in a single game, per Sportsnet Stats.
He previously scored 44 points in a Game 1 overtime loss, followed by 39 points in Sunday's Game 2 overtime win.
James is thus averaging 41.0 points per game in the series, despite making just 40.2 percent of his field-goal attempts through three games.
Per Wikipedia, Michael Jordan holds the record for best scoring average in a single NBA Finals, having put up 41.0 points per contest in a six-game series against the Phoenix Suns in 1993.
Barry averaged 40.8 points for the San Francisco Warriors in the 1967 Finals, and while he didn't slow down after his historic three-game start, his team still fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games.
Given that Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Love will both miss the rest of the series, the 30-year-old James has a real shot to best Jordan's record, which would likely intensify the debate about who's the greatest basketball player of all time—if the Cavaliers win, that is.
