LeBron James reveals motivation behind epic 45-point Game 6 performance against the Boston Celtics in 2012

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To this day, it might be the best performance of LeBron James' career.

Heading into Game 6 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012, there was plenty at stake for LeBron and the Miami Heat as they stared down the barrel of another trophy-less season in his second year in South Beach.

Trailing 3-2 on the road at TD Garden, James took matters into his own hands, exploding for 45 points on 19-of-26 shooting, 15 rebounds and five assists, dominating the game wire-to-wire to force a Game 7 back on their home floor. 

They would go on to win Game 7 and eventually claim the 2012 NBA championship against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, his first NBA title and the franchise's second.

Looking back at that epic Game 6 performance in an Instagram live chat with fans, James revealed just how much pressure was on in that game and what motivated his playoff takeover. 

“My mentality was like, if we lose, Pat Riley may break us all up,” James said.

“And I don’t want that. It may be the quickest breakup in basketball history. And not only might they break it all up, my legacy is going to take a huge, huge hit if I don’t go out here and perform at an all-time high.

"Win, lose or draw, I had to be focused, I had to be locked in and lead us to victory. I didn’t know if it was going to happen that way but that was my mindset.”

James became the first player in NBA history since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game.

As they say, the rest is history. 

Re-visit LeBron's huge Game 6 below:

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Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.