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History has shown that it takes more than one great player to garner an NBA title. Even the most revered of NBA superstars have had an accomplished scorer alongside them in their run to the Finals.

Jordan had Pippen. Bird had McHale. Magic had Kareem.

For LeBron James, that someone needs to be Mo Wiliams.

When Williams was traded to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2008 he was expected to be the number two option the team desperately needed. The Cavs were coming off of a season in which their second-leading scorer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, averaged just 14.1 points per game. The result was added pressure on James, who scored a league-high 30 points per game during the 2007-08 season.

With too much thrown on the shoulders of the team’s top scorer, the Cavs were ousted in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the eventual champion Celtics, leading to the acquisition of the 6-1 point guard.

Last season, in his first campaign with the Cavaliers, Williams quickly became the second-option to James. As the team rolled to a franchise-record 66 regular-season victories, Williams averaged 17.8 points and earned a spot on the All-Star team alongside James. It seemed as if the duo was destined to lead the Cavaliers to the 2009 NBA Title.

After sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs against the Pistons and Hawks, respectively, the Cavs earned a matchup with the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Facing an opponent with an abundance of weapons, the Cavaliers needed their point guard to have a memorable series.

Williams, playing in his first ever Conference Finals, struggled mightily as the Cavs lost in six games, shooting just 37 percent from the floor. Although he wasn’t the only player to under perform in the series, his poor play stood out about the rest.

“He put a lot of pressure on himself last year in the playoffs and him never being in that position he didn’t know how to handle it,” said James this week after a Cavalier victory. ”He used that as encouragement. He used that as motivation.”

It seems to have paid off, especially these past two games. The Cavaliers defeated the Magic on Wednesday with Williams scoring 28 points and dishing out six assists. He shot 9-9 from the field in the first half, getting a bit of revenge on a team that is quickly becoming a major rival for the Cavs.

“You definitely want to try to continue it,” said Williams after the game. ”But at the same time all nights are not going to be the same.”

So much for that theory.

The next night the seventh-year pro went off again, scoring 25 points on 10-15 shooting, including 5-7 from beyond the arc. With the two victories, the impact Williams has on the Cavaliers success is becoming more evident.

He is averaging just 13 points per game in the Cavaliers three losses, compared to 20.7 in their six wins. There’s been two sides to him this season, but if you ask the point guard’s teammates, the Williams they’ve seen in victories is what they’ve come to expect.

“Mo is just Mo,” said James after Williams’ gaudy performance in Miami on Thursday. ”He makes great plays. He’s an All-Star. So it’s not a surprise.”