Jun 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game four of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James moved past Michael Jordan into third place on the NBA Finals’ career scoring list during Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
James’ and-one basket with 9:56 left in the first quarter vaulted him past Jordan, who scored 1,176 points in 35 career Finals games.
James now trails only Jerry West (1,679) and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (1,317) on the Finals’ scoring list.
The four-time league MVP also passed Jordan (1,463) for the most made free throws in postseason history during Friday’s game and tied Shaquille O’Neal for the seventh-most games played in playoff history (216).
During Game 5 of the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics, James eclipsed Jordan for the league’s postseason scoring mark.
Cleveland scored 49 points in the first quarter, an NBA Finals-record for any period, and opened an 86-68 lead at halftime, with James totaling 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
The Cavs’ 86 points were the most scored by any team in the first half of an NBA Finals game. The 154 combined first-half points also set a record for the most points ever scored in any Finals half.
Golden State led the best-of-seven series 3-0.
