The world's most famous headband was back on, and LeBron James got the Cleveland Cavaliers back on track with a dominant Game 2 performance in a 106-91 Cavs win over the Chicago Bulls.
James finished with a (personal) playoff-high 33 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 34 minutes of action.
Most games w/ 30 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, postseason history
Michael Jordan 51
LeBron James 50
Kobe Bryant 37
@EliasSports
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 7, 2015
He didn't shoot the ball well, going 13-of-29 from the field and 2-of-11 outside of his close-range attempts, but he dominated when he bullied himself inside.
The clearest indication of LeBron's Game 2 impact was his game-high plus/minus of +31, with the Cavs being outscored by 16 points in the 14 minutes James sat on the bench.
While he was nearly posterized by Mike Dunleavy, the Kevin Love-less Cavaliers opting to match size with the Bulls' big lineup rather than starting Mike Miller again allowed James to start the game on Dunleavy, which takes less of a toll than trying to match up with one of Chicago's formidable big men.
Oddly enough, James shot only 25 percent (3-of-12) on uncontested attempts Wednesday while shooting nearly 59 percent (10-of-17) on his contested shots, although that could be a product of the Bulls being content to concede midrange and long-two attempts to James.
LeBron's efficiency has dropped with increased usage in Love's absence this season, and that trend has continued through two games of Cleveland's East semifinal series, but if LBJ can continue to work his way inside while starting to knock down his uncontested attempts at rates even approaching average, the King's efficiency should see a hairline-like ascent.
Speaking of the royal hairline, it's worth noting that James appeared to be wearing an average-sized headband that was actually being used as the accessory is intended, not as a hairline mask. #Progress.
