LeBron James Did 'What I Had To' As Cavaliers Win Game 7

LeBron James believes he delivered an overall efficient performance during the first round series against the Indiana Pacers as the Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the second round.

With the series tied at 3-3, James once again stepped up as he registered 45 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals to help his side win 105-101 on Sunday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

It means he averaged a remarkable 41.8 points in Cleveland's four wins against the Pacers as well as a series average of 34.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1 block per game.

The 33-year-old is also now 13-0 in first round series wins and 5-2 in Game 7s as the Cavs will now face the Toronto Raptors in the second round.

"I guess, in a sense, I had to do what I had to do to help us win," James told ESPN after the game. "One thing about me, I like being efficient, and I know I averaged 42 in the wins, but I was just efficient."

"Besides Game 6, when I was 7-for-16, I was pretty much efficient throughout the whole series and just trying to keep the defense off-balance, and if they doubled me here or they trapped me here, making sure I get the ball in the right places for my teammates. But that's what the doctor called for, and I had to go out and try to make plays, and I did that," he said.

Game 7 was another that James played at least 40 minutes in as he pushed himself so hard that he had to leave the court with a minute remaining in the third quarter for treatment.

The Akron native however, stated it was a "little minor injury" that needed to be taken care of ahead of the final quarter as he added he turned down the suggestion of intravenous therapy from medical personnel.

Head coach Tyronn Lue was not worried though, even as James averaged the second-highest most minutes played in the first round of the NBA playoffs this postseason.

"That's why you play the minutes throughout the course of the season the way he does: When these types of situations happen, you're prepared for them," Lue explained. "So he's used to playing 41, 42 minutes and being able to take it with his body and still be able to produce."

"A lot of guys, they get in the playoffs, they're not used to playing that many minutes, and then it being a high-intensity atmosphere, it's kind of hard for those guys to perform. So he does a great job of taking care of his body, a great job of conditioning himself for these types of situations."

Because the Cavs were taken the distance against the Pacers, they will only get a day of rest before traveling to Toronto to face the Raptors in Game 1 of the second round on Tuesday.

"I'm burnt right now," James added. "I'm not thinking about Toronto right now until tomorrow. I'm ready to go home. Can we? I'm tired. I want to go home."