LeBron James Passes Tim Duncan on NBA's All-Time Playoff Scoring List

During the first half of Game 2 in Wednesday's Eastern Conference second-round matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James passed San Antonio Spurs center/forward Tim Duncan for fifth all-time on the NBA's postseason scoring list, via the NBA on ESPN:  

Duncan has compiled 5,146 points in 18 career playoff appearances, while James surpassed him in just 11 trips to the postseason. 

Next on the list is James' former teammate Shaquille O'Neal at 5,250.

James needed just 11 points to move past Duncan on Wednesday night, which he did in the second quarter with his third three-pointer of the night. 

His hot start—he began 6-of-9 from the field—helped the Cavaliers build a healthy lead over the Hawks as they look to go up 2-0 in the series. 

This is all a part of a greater mission as James looks to finally deliver a title to a Cleveland city that hasn't seen a championship in more than 50 years. In six previous trips to the postseason with the Cavaliers, James led the league in scoring twice while making the NBA Finals twice, losing both. 

In between those leading postseasons was a stop in Miami with the Heat, where he led the league in postseason scoring an additional two years and also won a pair of championships alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. 

Four years in Miami yielded 2,338 playoff points, while James eclipsed the 2,800-point mark with the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. 

While it's a nice milestone to pass one of the most consistent players of this generation, it's all meaningless if James doesn't deliver a ring to the organization he made such a triumphant return to two years ago. He would probably echo those same sentiments if he comes up empty again this year.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.