LEBRON DECLARES HE’S BEST IN THE WORLD

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leveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James did not need to remind everyone about his talent and capabilities of impacting a basketball game.

But he did so in the aftermath of the Cavaliers' 104-91 defeat in Game 5 of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Monday morning (SA time). The Cavaliers are 3-2 down in the best-of-seven Finals.

LeBron had just powered in his second triple-double in the series - 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists - in 44 minutes, when a reporter asked him if he felt a lot less pressure this Finals run just because the Cavaliers are undermanned and he had some injuries as opposed to previous years.


The four-time MVP, who scored 40 plus points for the third time against the Warriors, was straightforward in his answer.

“No, I feel confident because I'm the best player in the world. It's that simple,” he said.
Despite LeBron’s figures, the Cavs lost by double digits for the second consecutive game, only this time it came when James was at his very best.

“I don't put a ceiling on what I'm capable of doing. I know I'm shouldering a lot of the burden, but it is what it is.”

LeBron is no stranger to be on the brink of elimination. He has been in this situation before, down 3-2 in an NBA Finals, and still won the title.

It has happened with the Miami Heat in 2012 when they trailed 3-2 against the San Antonio Spurs after Game 5.

At the time, Ray Allen came up with a timely three-pointer in the waning seconds of the contest to force an overtime before the Heat tied the series at three wins apiece.

Eventually, LeBron, Allen and the rest the Heat crew went on to win the championship in Game 7.
The Finals, LeBron said, “It's something you dream of when you're a kid. For me, I put the work in. I put the work in every single day, either when you guys are there, either when you're not there. Some of our beat writers see me. They know how much work I put into it, and I give everything to my teammates.

“When you're true to the game, it doesn't matter if it's a regular season game or a Finals game, you just go out and trust what you put into the game and you live with the results. So shouldn't be crazy when I make threes, though. It's just a shot,” he concluded.

When LeBron announced his homecoming to Cleveland in the off-season after spending four seasons with Miami, he pledged to do everything in his power to help the Cavaliers win their first NBA title.
But, injuries affecting key players such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have proven challenging for LeBron, who is playing in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals.
Despite LeBron’s stellar performance, Game 5 belonged to MVP Stephen Curry, who buried seven three-pointer to finish with 37 points.

Historically, the winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 NBA Finals has gone on to win the title 20 out of 28 times.
Game 6 is on Wednesday morning (SA time) in Cleveland.