LeBron carries Cleveland to 2-1 lead in NBA Finals

CLEVELAND - Cleveland’s chances of taking a long overdue championship rest largely upon the shoulders of LeBron James, and he carried the load impressively Tuesday, scoring 40 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 96-91 win against Golden State and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving injured, James takes on even more responsibility than is standard for one of the all-time greats, and he and city of Cleveland - which has not won a major sports title in 51 years - now stands two wins away from the championship.

James added 12 rebounds and eight assists in 46 minutes, his third stellar performance in his fifth straight finals.

The Cavs, who won Game 2 at Golden State for their first ever finals win, got their first at Quicken Loans Arena, which shook from start to finish.

They’ll have a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Thursday.

Through three games, James has played 142 of 154 minutes, scored 123 points and taken 107 shots.

AP