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Cleveland's LeBron James has moved past Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as the leading scorer in NBA playoff history on his way to helping the Cavaliers ease into a third straight NBA Finals series.
James entered game five of the Eastern conference finals against host Boston Celtics needing 28 points to surpass Jordan's mark of 5,987 playoff points.
- Lebron James — 5,995 (212 games)
- Michael Jordan — 5,987 (179 games)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 5,762 (237 games)
- Kobe Bryant — 5,640 (220 games)
- Shaquille O'Neal — 5,250 (216 games)
He reached the milestone in style late in the third quarter with a three-point jump shot that hit nothing but net.
James celebrated the record by raising his right index finger to signal number one, but quickly retreated to the backcourt to defend as the game continued, business as usual.
It was a muted celebration in a road game, with the James three-pointer putting the defending NBA champion Cavs up by 32 points.
James promptly knocked down two more three-pointers before the end of the third period.
With victory in the bag, he sat out the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers routed the Celtics 135-102 to clinch the best-of-seven series 4-1.
Cleveland will play for the championship against the Golden State Warriors, the third successive season the two teams have met in the finals.
James finished the game with 35 points to take his career playoff total to 5,995 points.
The 32-year-old, who is seeking a fourth NBA title, took 212 post-season games to surpass Jordan, a six-time champion who played 179 playoff games.
Reuters
Topics: basketball, sport, united-states