CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James pried the ball away from Miami Heat swingman James Johnson and started darting up the court.

After a brief fumble, James regained possession inside the 3-point arc and barreled down the left side of the lane. He got bumped, hung in the air and missed the shot. Then James chased down referee Kane Fitzgerald like he was Andre Iguodala and it was Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals all over again, eventually shouting profanities in Fitzgerald's ear and throwing an air punch directly at him.

James was heated. He felt he was fouled multiple times. His teammates agreed. But Tuesday wasn't just about that one play. It wasn't even about Fitzgerald. He just happened to be the ref that chose not to blow his whistle this time.

LeBron just got ejected for the first time in his career... 😳 pic.twitter.com/EFVTv3nMbc — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 29, 2017

Tuesday night's ejection was simply 15 years of frustration boiling over, finally pushing James to his breaking point. In a way, it was another message to the league about how he is officiated, especially with low free-throw numbers this season.

"I think I'm one of the league leaders in points in the paint. I drive just as much as anybody," James said after the 108-97 win against the Heat. "At this point, it's almost like they're trying to turn me into a jump shooter. I can't be a jump shooter. I'm not a jump shooter.

"I watch games every single night and I see jump shooters going to the line multiple, double-digit times every night and I'm not a jump shooter and I get fouled just as much as everybody else so it's going to the line one time, three times or four times, that's not what it's about."

At the time of his ejection, James had 21 points on 10-of-16 from the field. Only five of his 16 attempts had come from outside the paint. Yet he only took one free throw, which occurred less than 30 seconds into the game. No matter how much he drove, he wasn't getting calls.

That's been a point of frustration for quote some time. James may have a point.

Last season, James ranked third in shots within five feet, but was 12th in free throws. There's an awful lot of contact near the basket.

This season it's been much of the same, with very few whistles. Despite taking 19.1 shots per game, James is averaging a career-low 5.4 free throws. The only other time he averaged fewer than 6.0 attempts from the stripe was his rookie season.

During the 2009-10 campaign -- the last time James averaged nearly as many shots as he has this season -- he got to the stripe 10.2 times per game.

As for his inside scoring, James is correct about that as well. This season, he ranks second in points in the paint, averaging 15.0. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo tops the category, averaging 18.8. Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and DeMarcus Cousins round out the top five.

James has attempted 190 of his total 401 field goals less than five feet away from the rim. He ranks second in the NBA in that category, taking nine per night. The only player averaging more than that is Antetokounmpo, who has taken 192 of 364 from that same distance. He gets more than 11 of those looks per night. As for Davis, it's 144 of 310. With Cousins, it's 165 of 379.

James also ranks top 25 in drives per game, averaging 11.0. Antetokounmpo is a notch above, at 11.2. The top of that list is cluttered with point guards.

James is continuously getting to the basket. Only there remains a large disparity in free throw attempts when compared to other star players.

Antetokounmpo ranks second in the NBA, getting to the line 8.7 times per night, which is about three free throw attempts per game more than James, who ranks 21st -- even behind teammate Kevin Love. Davis and Cousins are taking more than two freebies per night than James.

Houston Rockets star James Harden, who leads the league in field goal attempts, is averaging a league-high 9.3 free throws.

Charlotte center Dwight Howard, another difficult player to officiate, is averaging 8.4 free throws. But that number is a bit deceiving because of the intentional hacks he receives on a nightly basis. Even Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry is taking more trips to the line than James.

In recent years, officials have been honest about the challenge of trying to judge contact on James. So strong and physical, defenders bounce off him and he's still able to finish, making it appear to be minimal contact. He also gets fouled harder than most, as defenders know he can power through weak fouls for and-one opportunities. He also plays his share of bully-ball, understanding how much of an advantage that is for him.

James knows the numbers. And his free throw attempt number, 5.4, isn't sitting well. Perhaps Tuesday's outburst will change that.