James left hanging by teammates

The magic on the court is still there but the world's greatest basketballer – LeBron James – might be losing some of his aura after being left embarrassingly hanging by his celebrating Cavaliers teammates.

James was again the shining light with 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block as Cleveland hammered the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 to book a spot in the NBA finals series Tuesday night (US time).

But James' game-winning performance was lost on two of his teammates, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, who snubbed his celebratory high-fives during the fourth quarter.

In footage of the incident, James stalks the arc as Thompson puts away another bucket to the roaring delight of the packed home crowd.

But as James, with hand outstretched, walks in to congratulate the play, Thompson point blank ignores the former champion and celebrates instead with Smith.

A shocked James follows the duo off the court before bench member Shawn Marion puts an end to his misery, slapping hands and celebrating with the "King".