LeBron James Becomes 9th Player in History to Score 1,000 Points in NBA Finals
In his seventh NBA Finals, LeBron James on Monday accomplished something few other players have.
James became the ninth player in NBA history to crack the 1,000-point plateau in his NBA Finals career, per NBA on ESPN.
James came into Monday's must-win Game 5 only one point behind Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson in all-time Finals points. He finished with 41 points, and the Cavaliers survived for one more night and forced a Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors.
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Heading into Monday's contest, the next two men in front of Johnson were Boston Celtics legends Tom Heinsohn and John Havlicek. Here's a look at the top eight career Finals leaders:
| 1. | Jerry West | 1,679 |
| 2. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,317 |
| 3. | Michael Jordan | 1,176 |
| 4. | Elgin Baylor | 1,161 |
| 5. | Bill Russell | 1,151 |
| 6. | Sam Jones | 1,143 |
| 7. | Tom Heinsohn | 1,037 |
| 8. | John Havlicek | 1,018 |
James eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the third quarter following a stellar first-half performance, per ESPN Stats & Info:
It helps that James has been to six straight NBA Finals to get this many points, and it shows the body of work he's put together this decade. Even though he's tasted defeat more than victory in the Finals—claiming only two championships—to get to that point and produce at a high level is a testament to how great of a player he's been and continues to be.
James may not catch Jerry West atop the leaderboard, but chances are he'll have more Finals appearances to increase his chances.
