CLEVELAND (AP) – The Latest from Game 6 of the NBA Finals (all times local):
7:43 p.m.
Only one trophy matters to LeBron James.
After posting historic statistics through the first five games of the NBA Finals, there is a growing sense that James could be named the series MVP even if the Cavaliers don’t beat Golden State for the championship. Jerry West is the only player to win MVP honors in the finals with a losing team, doing it with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969.
James wouldn’t feel good about the personal accomplishment, saying “I’m here to win a team prize, and that’s to win a championship, not to win an individual prize.”
He entered Game 6 averaging 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the series – the best numbers ever posted in the game’s biggest event.
A four-time MVP during the regular season, James was named the finals MVP in 2012 and 2013 with Miami.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report