National Basketball Association

LeBron James scoring at a record rate in NBA Finals

Published Jun. 10, 2015 6:14 a.m. ET

foxsports

LeBron James is doing more than ever. With the Cavaliers missing two All-Stars, he has no choice.

And so far, the results are historic.

James scored 40 points in Tuesday's 96-91 win over the Warriors, giving him 123 in the first three games of the NBA Finals. That's more than Rick Barry (122), Jerry West (118), Michael Jordan (117) and Shaquille O'Neal (116) managed in the same span.

Through three games, James has played 142 of 154 possible minutes, scored 123 points and taken 107 shots.

"I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to help our team win," he said. "It's the Finals, and it's whatever it takes. This is a totally different challenge."

James added 12 rebounds and eight assists in 46 minutes Tuesday; he's averaging 12.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the series. Last series, James just missed averaging a triple-double by three assists. He was trying to become the first player to average a triple-double in a playoff series while averaging 30 points. Now he might do it averaging 40.

Still think the comparisons to Michael Jordan are crazy? You might change your mind when you check out how LeBron's 2015 Finals stacks up against MJ's best.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.