The 4 greatest Finals moments in Cleveland Cavaliers history

3. Lebron James’ 51 points in Golden State (2018)

The Cavaliers returned to the 2018 Finals with some new faces that didn’t include Irving. Again, the opponent on the other side was the Warriors, featuring Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.

In Game 1, James uncorked the offense, going four-of-four in the first quarter. Nobody could stop him from getting to the cup throughout the game, and his jumper was on target. It was as close as anyone can get to seeing a demi god in gym shorts. He finished the night with 51 points in the best performance of a historic postseason run by Cleveland's greatest player.

On top of scoring, James dissected the Warriors’ defense with his passing, supplying eight assists and crashing the glass for eight boards.

The match was overshadowed by J.R. Smith’s blunder of running away from the basket after his key offensive rebound from a missed free throw by Grant Hill. The Cavs then fell in overtime. The crushing loss showed how far Cleveland fell since losing Irving.