Cavaliers weather third quarter Boston run to escape with 102-99 win; three takeaways

3. LeBron. James.

Make no bones about it: LeBron James took over the game.

For all the talk of his sprained ankle and missed time on the court during the preseason, you wouldn’t really know it from watching the game on Tuesday, other than the fact that his conditioning seemed lacking at times. James, being the perfectionist that he is, decided to hit the VersaClimber last night after playing 41 minutes, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“I don’t feel great about where my game is right now,” James said. “It’s going to be a fine line with how much rest I get and how much I’m pushing myself.”

James ended the evening just one assist shy of a triple-double with a game-high 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. It was the first time a player posted those numbers in a team’s opener, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

“You can sense it when he has that little look in his eyes like come to me, play through me,” Lue said. “And that’s what we did and he was able to deliver.”

“He only played one game in the preseason and he still can pick up his game to a level so much [that] even when he looks a little bit winded, like he never does, he was able to make a huge play,” Love said. “He made big plays all night and even though we were a little rusty all the way around, he was able to find not just me but a lot of guys tonight.”

James is the best player in the world for a reason. He makes all of those on his team better, and for that reason, he was able to produce spectacular numbers to save the Cavs from themselves.

“We lean on him, we’re going to depend on him,” Dwyane Wade said. “This is why he’s one of the greatest to do it.”

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