No matter where the Cleveland Cavaliers play this postseason, four-time MVP LeBron James continues to perform at high level.
He scored 30 plus points in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals at Atlanta Hawks, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
The Cavaliers lead 2-0, and hold home-court advantage as the series shifts to Cleveland on Sunday for Game 3.
Despite playing without the All-Star duo of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, who is battling a knee injury, James has stepped up, covering the missing pieces.
The Cavaliers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round, overcame Chicago in Game 6, and need just two more wins to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007.
Although James doubted his team’s potential to battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy a few months ago, he is a lot more confident now.
Addressing the media on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Game 3 against the Hawks, James said: “I think with the pieces we had, I felt like, if we continued to get better, we could compete for a championship.
“If we work our championship habits both on and off the floor, we give ourselves the best possible chance to compete. Obviously, I still think that today.”
Unsurprisingly, James remains an all-around weapon for the Cavaliers.
In Game 2, James was one rebound shy of recording a triple-double as a result of his 30 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds.
He has 11 triple-doubles in his playoff career, but has not recorded one since the 2013 Playoffs with Miami.
Should the Cavaliers beat the Hawks in Game 3, they would be in a privileged position to close out the series at home, and set up a highly-anticipated Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who lead their Western Conference Finals 3-0 against the Houston Rockets.
In fact, we could have James versus Curry – two of the best performers in the modern NBA – in the Finals.
