James powers Cavs after MVP snub
washington — LeBron James continued his dynamic playoff run scoring 30 points as the defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers exploded for a 130-86 blowout of the Boston Celtics to take a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.
James scored 22 points in the first half on Friday night as the Cavaliers led 72-31 at the break — the largest halftime advantage in NBA postseason history.
It was the biggest playoff win ever for the Cavaliers, who now have the luxury of hosting games three and four in Cleveland.
“I am a guy that lives in the moment. Our team is in a great groove right now,” James said.
“We want to try to get better. I said before that we had another level and (people) looked at me like I was crazy,” he added.
“I believe we have another level as well. We can continue to get better. No complacency with us right now.”
The Celtics team had their heart ripped out for the second game in a row at the Boston Garden. It marked the worst home playoff loss in franchise history, falling three points shy of matching Boston’s worst postseason defeat.
James’s performance came in front of a crowd of 18,600 and just hours after he was snubbed as a nominee for the league’s MVP award.
“What can I do about it? My only job is to be MVP of this team every night. I know what I bring to the table,” he said.
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue didn’t agree with leaving James’ name off the three-man nominee list.
“I look at LeBron like Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal),” said Lue. “I think every year he’s the MVP and you could give him the award every year if you wanted to.” — AFP