The Cavs just wasted a LeBron James 51-point game in the NBA Finals

For the Cavaliers to have even a puncher’s chance at winning an NBA championship against this loaded Golden State Warriors team, LeBron James had to be a god. And not just any god — he had to be the all-seeing, all-knowing, omnipotent basketball demigod, ready to wreak havoc on who and whatever was in front of him.

In Game 1, he was.

James scored 51 whole points to kickoff the NBA Finals, shooting 19-of-32, or 59 percent, from the field and 10-of-11 from the foul line. Throw eight rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block in there for good measure.

The King had a historic performance. LeBron’s 51-point night was only the sixth 50-point night in NBA Finals history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Bob Pettit are the only other players to have that kind of incredible night.

Unfortunately, James is the only player on that illustrious list to score 50 points and lose the game.

This Cavaliers team is one that was put together on the fly last summer, blown up and reconstructed at the trade deadline. That was the point. James said he decided he was going to go all out and push this team to the limit. They made the NBA Finals because of his greatness.

And they were on pace to sneak away with a Game 1 win at Oracle Arena — against a team with two MVPs, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best two-way wings in the league. No one saw this coming.

But the game boiled down to one play. The Cavs were down one with five seconds left on the clock, and George Hill was at the free throw line. Two makes gives Cleveland the lead; one make keeps them alive for at least one more possession.

Hill is an 80 percent free throw shooter. He made the first one. Missing the second is tough, but players miss free throws under pressure every day.

What happened next was completely inexcusable.

Tyronn Lue said Smith thought the game was over and that Cleveland was up one with the time expiring. Smith said he knew the score, but he was thinking a timeout would be called. LeBron said he didn’t know what was going on. But time expired and the game went to overtime. Golden State blasted Cleveland and won by 10.

The Cavaliers now look completely demoralized. Tyronn Lue couldn’t find the words to describe the pain he felt after his team scrapped, only to come up short on a play like that. And he couldn’t find the words to describe how a historic 51-point night from the best player in the world wasn’t enough.

Odds are, nobody can.