CLEVELAND -- We've seen dunks like that out of him before, but did you see LeBron James' face afterward? Did you see that grimace? That glare?

It was a Baddest Man on the Planet scowl that James wore on his 23-year-old face Monday night after throwing down one of the more vicious dunks that Kevin Garnett has ever been on the receiving end of.

First, James got freed by a pick and blew past Paul Pierce. Next, he made the subtlest little head fake to get James Posey leaning the wrong way, and finally, he went up over Garnett and was undeterred by the two hands KG shoved into his chest as he rose higher and higher and ultimately unleashed a windmill flush that brought the house down.

Playoff Schedule
WEST SEMIFINALS

New Orleans 2, San Antonio 2
Game 5: Tue., 9:30 ET, at NOR

L.A. Lakers 2, Utah 2
Game 5:Wed., 10:30 ET, at LAL


EAST SEMIFINALS


Detroit 3, Orlando 1
Game 5: Tue., 7 ET, at DET

Boston 2, Cleveland 2
Game 5: Wed., 8 ET, at BOS

The full playoff schedule



It was a virtuoso finishing act from the Eastern Conference's top superstar, a game-defining dunk that gave the Cavaliers a nine-point lead as part of their 9-2 run to close the game as Cleveland defeated Boston 88-77 to even their second-round playoff series at two games apiece.

"He can dunk. And if you give him a running start at the basket, he's going to get a good dunk. Once he gets up there, there's not a lot you can do about it," Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

James turned and started hopping back up-court after the dunk, the look on his face reminiscent of a moment two decades ago, when Mike Tyson was in his prime, knocking out Michael Spinks 91 seconds into the first round to retain the undisputed heavyweight title and run his record to an unbeaten 35-0. There wasn't an athlete like Tyson on the planet at the time, and the scariest thing about him was how ruthless and unstoppable he could be when he summoned everything he had from deep down inside.

Sort of like how James looked after that dunk over KG.

"That was the play we needed as a team," James said. "Me as an individual hadn't had a play like that, our crowd hadn't seen a play like that since the alley-oop Daniel Gibson threw to me in the first series. They deserved it, our fans deserved it, they were great, and it was great that I was able to give it to them."

James said it was his best dunk of the season, besting a flush he had over Tim Duncan because this one took place in a playoff game and the other came during the regular season.

James noted that he had shied away from Garnett on his previous drive, switching the ball from hand to hand and trying a finesse shot, and had vowed to be more aggressive on his next drive.