LeBron James really knows how to hit two birds with one stone. On Thursday, the 4-time NBA MVP put up one of the best performances in playoffs’ history as he recorded 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists to help the Cleveland Cavaliers come back from 26-point deficit in an 119-114 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their best-of-seven first round series at Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Largest comeback in playoff history

Less than 24 hours after Russell Westbrook’s 50-point triple-double in a losing effort to the Houston Rockets, James responded with his own MVP-type performance.

However, the King made sure the Cavaliers end up with the victory despite trailing 26 early on and then facing a 25-point deficit at the end of the first half.

With Kyrie Irving (13 points on 4-for-17 FG) and Kevin Love (13 points on 4-for-12 FG) struggling with their shots, James took over in the second half as he shreds the Pacers into pieces with his penetration and pin-point passing. After scoring 13 points in the third quarter, LeBron spearheaded a Cavs’ 15-5 spurt to momentarily regain the lead in the fourth and then ignited another 12-5 run down the stretch to complete the big comeback.

History-maker

LeBron’s 41-point output catapulted him past Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for no.3 NBA playoff scoring list.

He’s now only trailing Lakers’ great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762 points) and Chicago Bulls’ icon Michael Jordan (5,987 points) on that prestigious scoring list. In addition, the Cavs superstar also preserved his immaculate record of 20 consecutive first-round playoff wins.

Stars of the Night

1 Star – sharpshooter Kyle Korver went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points in 22 minutes of action.

Korver had been misfiring in the first two games against the Pacers until his mini-breakout in Game 3. The Cavs will once again need his outside shooting when the try to wrap up the series on Sunday.

2 StarsTristan Thompson did really well protect the paint in Game 3. The forward/center recorded 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in 28 minutes while altering so many shots in the paint.

Thompson has been grabbing double-digit rebounds in all 3 games vs. the Pacers in the series.

3 StarsLeBron James was undoubtedly the star of stars in Game 3. Apart from his accomplishments this night, King James racked up 28-7-6 in the second half with no turnover.