LeBron James is heading back to the NBA Finals.
James scored 33 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to consecutive Finals appearances for the first time in franchise history with a 113-87 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, James will become the eighth player in NBA history to play in six straight NBA Finals and first to accomplish the feat in 50 years. He also joins Dennis Rodman as the only players in NBA history to make the NBA Finals at least three times with two different teams.
King James owned the court
James had his highest point total of the postseason Friday, but he’s had success all series.
James had more success against DeMarre Carroll this time. James shot nearly 23 percentage points better with Carroll as his primary defender in this series compared to the 2015 playoffs.
James averaged 15.7 points per game inside the paint in this series. Of James’ 61 made field goals in the series, 45 were either a layup or dunk. James has 94 dunks or layups this postseason, 35 more than any other player.
James also thrived on the other end of the court. He held the Raptors to two points on 1-of-10 shooting as the primary defender in Game 6. Among 45 players to defend at least 100 plays this postseason, James ranks third in opponent’s field goal percentage at 34.5 percent. He held the Raptors to 29.8 percent shooting as the primary defender in the series.
Road warriors
Since James returned to Cleveland, the Cavaliers have won all five road games in which they had the opportunity to clinch the series. Overall, the Cavaliers have won seven straight road games in which they've had a chance to clinch. That's the third-longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
This is the 25th straight playoff series that James has won a road game. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that breaks a tie with Michael Jordan for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Big three comes up big
This was the sixth time this postseason that James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all scored at least 20 points. They accomplished that feat only twice during the regular season. Overall, the Cavaliers are 8-0 in those games.
The 83 combined points by the trio in Game 6 was the most that they've scored in any playoff game together. In their two seasons together, it's their third-highest combined total (regular season or playoffs).