LeBron James erupted for 41 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 122-121 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
James, along with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, helped the Cavaliers erase a 19-point lead in the final period to score their third straight victory after starting the season with a 1-3 record.
Cleveland allowed the Celtics to score 42 points in the third period, but stepped up on defense in the final period, limiting the Cavaliers to just 20 points in the fourth quarter.
"We gave up a 40-point quarter and that's unacceptable if we want to grow, but we showed growth in the fourth quarter," said James, who also added seven assists and four rebounds.
James put the Cavaliers ahead by one point with 36 seconds left to play in the game. The Celtics had several chances to take the lead back, including one in the final seven seconds, but Rajon Rondo lost control of the ball, allowing Cleveland to escape with thrilling victory.
Irving and James combined for 25 points in the final period. The superstar point guard scored 12 points in the final quarter before telling James to take over, and the two-time NBA champion responded well to the challenge.
"I know what he's capable of and everybody in the world knows what he's capable of, and it's more or less I feel like sometimes he takes his foot off the gas a little bit when he can punish guys," Irving said of James. "And he knows it. He's been in this league a long time. I'm not telling him anything he doesn't know."
Cavaliers rookie coach David Blatt, who made some sort of a homecoming, praised James and Irving for the way they led Cleveland down the stretch.
"Those are two players of the highest order and the highest level, and it's banal to say that's what they're supposed to do, but that's what they're supposed to do and that's what they do," Blatt said.
Kevin Love also had a big night for the Cavaliers as he finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds to go along with four assists, while Anderson Varejao posted 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field.
