"It is incredible what we have done with the players we have for 75 minutes against the Champions League finalists," said City boss Pep Guardiola after the game.
The Sixers superstar finished with a 30-point triple, while James had 18 points in 30 minutes. Coincidentally, James had surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in minutes played in the NBA regular season and postseason.
Former skipper, Harry Maguire headed in what proved to be the winner with 20 minutes to go, only for Scott McTominay to give away a penalty in the 94th minute.
"Then I start my day with the boxing thing, I go in there and hit the mits, 30 minutes, 25 minutes, start getting in better condition. "I'm starting to put those combinations together.
"I wanted to just sleep for like one hour thirty minutes so that we will celebrate. I now over slept. Woke up by 3am. I said 'Ye!'. I was looking for my phone because I have a big suite.
In case you missed the recent drama: Jay Z dropped his 13th studio album 4:44 and one of the standout track is 'Kill Jay Z' in which he dragged Kanye West, branding him insane.
Over the final four minutes, James and the Cavaliers choked away a six-point lead, allowing the Indiana Pacers to climb back into the game and tie it at 95 with 33 seconds to go.