Watch: LeBron James Passes Michael Jordan On NBA All-Time Postseason Scoring List With 5,995 Points

LeBron James now leads the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring list.

LeBron James tops All-Time Playoff Scoring List

The King finished with 35 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 135-102 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden.

James, 32, passed Michael Jordan in postseason scoring when he sank a 3 with around 2:10 left in the third quarter to put the Cavs up 103-71. The 2003 No. 1 overall pick had 5,989 career playoff points (Jordan finished his career with 5,987 playoff points) at that moment in the game, but ended the night with 5,995 points.

James celebrated his record break by lifting his right index finger to indicate No. 1.

The Cavs forward and four-time MVP said after the game that it was an honor to pass Jordan, his childhood hero, although he never expected to pass the legendary former Chicago Bulls star in postseason scoring.

“I wear the number because of Mike,” James said of the No. 23 on his uniform. “I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just because of what he was able to accomplish. When you’re watching Michael Jordan it’s almost like a god. So I didn’t think I could be Mike.”

James received several congratulations for breaking the record from notable figures around the NBA, including Magic Johnson. 

Jordan, 54, had held the record for playoff points for 20 years. He scored his last postseason points at the age of 35 and after 179 games in the Bulls’ Game 6 victory over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals. Jordan played in the NBA from 1984-2003.

“I wanted to be Mike, so for my name to come up in any discussion with Michael Jordan or Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] or all these guys that’s paved the ways for Tristan [Thompson] and Kevin [Love], myself and Swish [JR Smith], it’s a wow factor. I don’t really have anything to say.”

Here are more highlights of James’ scoring in Thursday’s Game 5:

James has scored 30 points or more in 11 of Cleveland’s 13 games this postseason.

The defending NBA champion Cavaliers beat the Celtics 4-1 in the best-of-seven playoffs series to set up their third straight final-round matchup with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors, who swept the San Antonio Spurs in four games.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 23 points on Thursday.

Cleveland, which won its first-ever NBA title in 2016, also set a league record by winning its 13th straight series closeout opportunity, which includes a 12-1 record this postseason.

The Warriors will host the Cavs for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday at 9 pm EST. The game will air on ABC.

OSTON, MA – MAY 25: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates his dunk in the third quarter as Jae Crowder #99 of the Boston Celtics looks on during Game Five of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 25, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Article by Pablo Mena