Playoff LeBron James, activated.
After a quiet first quarter in Cleveland’s loss to Indiana in Game 1 in which James didn’t take his first shot until 1:52 remained in the quarter, James looked to score early in the first quarter of Game 2.
James, who led the Cavaliers to a 100-97 victory over Indiana on Wednesday to tie the series at 1-1, made his first five shots and scored Cleveland’s first 16 points as the Cavs raced to an early 16-1 lead.
All told in the opening 12 minutes, James scored 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He also had six assists and three rebounds as the Cavs led 33-18.
James finished with 46 points on 17 for 24 shooting, and it was the 20th time he has scored at least 40 points in a playoff game. It was his highest scoring postseason game since scoring 49 in 2014. James also had 12 rebounds and five assists.
Cleveland’s early 26-8 lead didn’t hold. The tenacious Pacers trailed 90-86 with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter and cut it to 95-92 with 51 seconds left. Indiana's Victor Oladipo missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with 27 seconds to go.
"We got lucky," James said during TNT's postgame interview. "We gave up a wide open three to Oladipo, and he missed it. I’d rather be on time and on target than being lucky. So we gotta do a better job late in games and not give up a shot like that that’s easily something he can make."
Game 3 is Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in a series that could go either way.
James’ 16 points in the first four minutes, 55 seconds of the quarter were the most any player has scored in the first six minutes of a playoff game in the past 20 seasons, according to ESPN Stats and Info. His nine made field goals in the quarter also tied a Cavs franchise postseason record.
James tallied nine more points, including three soaring dunks that the Pacers couldn't contest. His first half line: 29 points on 12 for 16 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists as the Cavs took a 58-46 lead into halftime. James' 29 first-half points set a Cavs playoff record for points in a half.
LeBron James has 12 FGM and has now set a new @cavs playoff franchise record for FGs made in a half.#WhateverItTakes
Cavs coach Ty Lue said James needed to be more aggressive and set the tone early for Cleveland. That’s exactly what happened, and Cleveland needed every bit of James’ superb offensive night to even the series with the Pacers at 1-1.
Oladipo, the star of Game 1, picked up his second foul 62 seconds into the game and went to the bench for the rest of the first quarter. He finished with 19 points.
Dec. 12, 2002: 17-year-old phenom LeBron James of St. Vincent-St. Mary High school during pregame warmup against Oak Hill Academy at Cleveland State University's Convocation Center. Eileen Blass, USA TODAY