The Lakers, the Cavaliers and LeBron's most dominant season ever - ESPN

IF THE BUZZER-BEATING 3 in Game 5 of the first round of the 2018 playoffs against the Indiana Pacers and the fast-break bank shot to win Game 3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers' second-round series versus the Toronto Raptors and the 51/8/8 stat line in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors are LeBron James' greatest hits in what he calls his greatest season, then his performance in Game 2 of the second round should certainly be considered a B-side gem.

After eking out an overtime victory on the road against the top-seeded Raptors to open the Eastern Conference semifinals, James showed in the next game why the Cavaliers — who amassed nine fewer wins in the regular seasons than Toronto — weren't really underdogs.

On his way to 43 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists (and just one turnover), James transformed into a midrange assassin by using precision to pick at the seams of the Raptors' defense rather than simply pummeling them with his power.

«I remember sitting there on the bench having a very real moment of, 'I'll never see anything like this ever again,'» Cavs big man Larry Nance Jr. told ESPN. Nance had landed with Cleveland at the trade deadline that year and was a part of its improbable run to the Finals. «And there's never been anything like that ever again, and there won't be, really.»

James shot 8-for-12 on jump shots that game — his best shooting percentage on jumpers in a playoff game over the past 10 years, per GeniusIQ tracking-- tossing in pull-ups, fadeaways and catch-and-shoots from all over the court.

«It was showing the full maturation of his game and the touch at that point and understanding where doubles are coming from and everything,» Nance continued. «If I'm the Raptors, I'm so happy