Over time, King James reigns
CLEVELAND – LeBron James dropped to his knees and slapped the floor with his hand.
He was exhausted and exhilarated – and one win from the NBA Finals.
James shook off an atrocious shooting start and withstood Atlanta’s gritty comeback to record a triple-double, and the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 114-111 win in overtime on Sunday night over the Hawks.
James missed his first 10 shots, but finished with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cavs needed every single one of them to hold off the top-seeded Hawks, who fought Cleveland until the final seconds despite being without injured shooter Kyle Korver and losing Al Horford, who was ejected in the first half.
James, who favored his right leg for most of the fourth quarter and OT, hit a threepointer with 36.4 seconds left to put the Cavs ahead by one, and the superstar dropped a runner with 12.8 left to make it 114-111.
“He just wouldn’t let us lose,” coach David Blatt said.
Atlanta had two chances to tie it in the final seconds, but Shelvin Mack missed two three-pointers.
When the final horn sounded, James collapsed to the floor and had to be helped to his feet by his teammates. It was their turn to carry him.
“Started out the game just out of character, out of rhythm. But I had to make a difference,” James said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to make plays for your teammates. I’m happy I was able to make a few.”
James will have just one day to rest up before the Cavs try to earn their second Finals trip – and the fifth in a row for James – in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Jeff Teague scored 30 points and Paul Millsap 22 for the Hawks, who scratched and clawed for 53 minutes.
Down 10 in the fourth, the Hawks showed championship toughness and nearly pulled off a win that would have guaranteed them another home game on Thursday. They’ll have to dig deep again, and they are facing long odds to win the series as no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.
“I’m very proud of the way our guys competed,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.