Kyrie Irving and LeBron James bust out the NBA Finals cheat codes
Magic and Kareem. Kobe and Shaq. Jordan and Pippen. Take your pick.
Never in NBA Finals history have teammates done what Kyrie Irving and LeBron James did Monday night.
Each scored 41 points to lead a Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Golden State Warriors. In doing so, they became the first teammates ever to go for more than 40 in the same NBA Finals game.
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Both James and Irving put up video game numbers, but the vastly different manners in which each player exploded are what's most amazing. The question now: Can James and Irving really be Cleveland's Big Three? More on that in a second.
LeBron was his typical self Monday, a locomotive of all-around devastation. His final stat line: 41 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks.
This was his 38th career game on the NBA's biggest stage, and the finals veteran was a lion yet again. But this time he had help in Irving.
Irving is effectively playing his first NBA Finals, after missing almost all of last year's matchup against Golden State with a fractured kneecap. He got off to a poor start in this series, getting exploited on defense and looking feeble on offense as the Warriors blew Cleveland out in the first two games.
In Game 2, the Warriors outscored Cleveland by 26 points when Irving was on the floor -- the worst mark of anyone on the Cavs.
Not so in Game 5. The Cavs outscored Golden State by 20 with Irving in -- the best mark on the team. His 41 points came on a lethally efficient 17-for-24 shooting. He dazzled like Uncle Drew, scoring on step-back jumpers, crossover dribbles and shifty slithers to the hoop.
This now makes three straight excellent outings for Irving. He performed well in Game 3 (a win) and Game 4 (a close loss) as Cleveland made the series competitive.
Safe to say he's found his NBA Finals footing.
We can't say the same for Kevin Love, the alleged third member of Cleveland's Big Three.
Love -- who is making some $20 million this season, more than anyone on Cleveland except James -- had two points Monday.
Love -- the player Cleveland traded budding star Andrew Wiggins to acquire in 2014 -- had three rebounds Monday. He was one-of-five shooting in 33 minutes.
He, James and Irving were supposed to be Cleveland's Big Three for years, but Love hasn't been good all series. And that's the thing: As historically brilliant as James and Irving were Monday, can they carry Cleveland alone?
James and Irving staved off elimination on Monday night, combining for 82 of Cleveland's 112 points. They basically played two-on-five -- which is the problem.
Warriors star Draymond Green returns from his nut-kicking suspension for Game 6 on Thursday. Meanwhile, no team has ever come back from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit -- the hole Cleveland faced entering Monday.
The Cavs' dreams rest on the backs of a two-man Big Three unless Love finds his game. For now, Cleveland fans seeking a history-making NBA Finals comeback can only hope James and Irving somehow repeat Monday's heroics two more times.
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Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
