That same old tired talk from LeBron James' biggest critics regarding his inability to show up on the big stage has come to a screeching halt.
James has willed his Cleveland Cavaliers through two consecutive must-win Finals games against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, and he put his name on another page of the NBA's record books in the process. With Thursday night's Game 6 performance to follow-up on Monday night's Game 5, James became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to put together back-to-back 40-point performances in a Finals series.
Other than James and O'Neal, Michael Jordan is the only player with consecutive 40-plus point games in the Finals in the past 30 years, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
First was Game 5, where James scored 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals.
It was more of the same in Game 6: 41 points on 16-of-27 shooting, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 steals.
Game 7 is set for Sunday night, and if the same James shows up at Oracle Arena, the Warriors' title defense gets all the more difficult.
Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK
