Warriors withstand historic 51-point night from LeBron, beat Cavs in OT
The Golden State Warriors withstood an all-time tempest by Hurricane James, and when the dust had settled, they escaped with a 124-114 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Despite the loss, LeBron James' performance was one of the greatest achievements in his storied career.
He dropped a postseason career-high 51 points on 19-of-32 shooting (59.4 percent) to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists, a block, and a steal. It topped his previous playoff career high of 49, which he set against the Orlando Magic back in 2009.
It may mean little in lieu of the Cavaliers' loss, but James is now the owner of the 36th 50-plus-point game in playoff history.
Only six players have ever dropped 50+ points in an NBA Finals game.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 1, 2018
(Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan, Rick Barry, Jerry West, LeBron James, Bob Petit)
LeBron is the only one whose team lost the game.
He joins four other active players to score 50 or more points in a playoff game: former Cavaliers teammate Isaiah Thomas and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (who both accomplished the feat last season), as well as living legends Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter.
There have only been two players in NBA history who have scored 50 points in a playoff game who have not gone on to make the Hall of Fame: Kobe Bryant (eligible for enshrinement next year) and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, who scored 51 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987.
All of it was for naught, as J.R. Smith botched a potential game-winning possession at the end of regulation to send the contest to overtime, during which James was held to just two points as the Warriors pulled away for the win.
LeBron James is the only player in NBA history to score or assist on 70 Pts in a Finals game and lose. He's done it on 2 occasions - both against the Warriors (also 2015).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 1, 2018
Jerry West (twice) and Walt Frazier are the only other players to score or assist on 70 Pts in the Finals.
With Game 2 slated for Sunday, James may need to drop another 50 points to keep the Cavs in the series. If he does add another 50-point game to his playoff resume, he'd join Michael Jordan (eight), Wilt Chamberlain (four), Allen Iverson (three), and Jerry West (two) as the only players to score 50-plus-points multiple times in the playoffs.