CLEVELAND -- The NBA announced today that Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in March 2015. This marks the 17th time a Cavs player has earned Player of the Month honors and James' 29th, the most in NBA history.
After also winning the award in February, James led the Cavaliers to an Eastern Conference-best 11-4 record in March. During the month, he appeared in all 15 games and averaged 24.7 points on .482 shooting from the field, including .405 shooting from the three-point line, 6.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 36.4 minutes per game. James led the East in points per game (24.7) and total points (370), while ranking second in field goals made (135), fourth in assists per game (7.3), sixth in steals per game (1.7) and tied for seventh in three-pointers made (32). The 6-8 forward was the only player in the NBA to shoot at least .480 from the field with averages of at least 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in March. The Cavs had a plus/minus of +123 when James was on the floor, which was the highest mark in the Eastern Conference.
James also recorded four double-doubles during the month, while leading the Cavs in assists 10 times, in scoring eight times, in steals seven times, in blocks four times and in rebounds three times. He scored at least 20 points on 12 occasions in March, including two 30-point performances. James posted a stat line of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists on an Eastern Conference-best nine occasions. Additionally, he scored in double figures in all 15 games he appeared in, continuing his current streak of scoring in double-digits to 637, the third-longest such streak in NBA history.
During the Cavs' 110-79 win over Boston on March 3, James moved past Ray Allen (24,505) for 21st place on the NBA's all-time scoring list after tallying 27 points on 12-23 (.522) shooting from the field, five assists and three steals in 26 minutes. He followed that up with 29 points on 9-16 (.563) shooting, including 3-6 (.500) from beyond the arc, six rebounds and a season-high tying 14 assists in 37 minutes of a 120-112 road win over Toronto on March 4. With his first of eight assists in Cleveland's 127-94 road victory against Dallas on March 10, James surpassed Mark Price (4,206) to become the franchise's all-time assists leader, while also adding 27 points on 10-14 (.714) shooting from the field, including 4-6 (.667) from beyond the arc and seven rebounds in 29 minutes that night. Just 10 days later, James helped the Cavaliers clinch a playoff spot after pouring in 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes in a 95-92 win against Indiana on March 20.
In 65 games (all starts) this season, James is averaging 25.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 36.3 minutes per game. Among league leaders, he currently ranks third in points per game, fourth in minutes per game, seventh in assists per game and 20th in steals per game. James and the Cavaliers are an NBA-best 30-7 since Jan. 15 and have the longest active home winning streak in the league at 17 games.
Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook won Player of the Month accolades for the Western Conference.
Information from the team press release was used directly in this piece.
