That is pure dominance. Heres how LeBrons teams elimination games have ended (wins in italics) 2006, Pistons beat Cavs in Game 7, Conference semis 2007, Spurs beat Cavs in Game 7, Finals 1987 Warriors. LeBron James has entered uncharted waters. 2019-20: This would end up being the longest season in NBA history. James explained to reporters today that he could have lost as many as nine more NBA Finals already if things had gone his way. Mar 23, 2019. Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, LeBron Remains NBA's Best Player In Defeat, Knicks Favored To Make Playoffs With Top-6 Seed, LA County To Pay $29 Mn To Kobe Bryant's Widow Over Crash Photos, Goran Dragic Could Reinforce Bucks Backcourt On Minimum Deal. Skip Bayless is confident that LeBron James and his team will not get past the second round. The Spurs dominated the Heat, with a young Kawhi Leonard dominating James on the defensive end to win Finals MVP. He also had a legendary stretch of eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2011 to 2018. . LeBron James played 1 game in a loss on no rest versus the Heat on December 28. LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-100 to the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of their first-round series on Thursday, eliminating the Lakers and bringing an end to an . The highlight though was coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the 73-9, This series was one of the many James versus a super team series. This was viewed as a move that locked the Warriors in as 2017 champions. The Lakers went on to lose Game 4, and they barely even competed in their 30-point Game 5 loss without Davis. Thus came to end the second spell of LeBron James in Cleveland. LeBron James has lost consecutive 1st round games for the first time in his career.This is also the first time in LeBron's career that he trails a 1st round series after Game 5 or later. 5 Did LeBron make the playoffs his second year? While James has won three titles in 14 seasons with the Cavs and Miami Heat, he has lost in the title series five times. Two of these, 2013 and 2016, were both game seven wins where James played outstanding. 1990 Knicks. Toronto Raptors Playoff History - RealGM. Jordan deserves the utmost credit for nailing that epic game-winner over Bryon Russell. This was viewed as a move that locked the Warriors in as 2017 champions. The next round he would sweep the Raptors in the famous LeBronto series. LeBron has always been able to overcome the odds during these early rounds and we can expect no different thing this time around too. Anthony Davis exits early in Game 4, and how Los Angeles responds will determine the direction of the series. LeBron's 3-6 finals record is not very good, only winning one-in-three of his trips made to the NBA Finals. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In 2010, James moved to the Miami Heat and formed a strong roster with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. That defeat marked James first in 15 first-round series in his career. LeBron James finally conquers the West. He lost to Boston in the second round in 2010 before leaving Cleveland . James would play like a monster, leading each team in every statistical category. The Warriors were too good, and there was not much to be done about it. LeBron has played 19 years in his career. Entering these playoffs, a team with James had been 11-0 in first-round games immediately following losses. Liverpool Legend Roberto Firmino Reportedly Offers Himself To FC Barcelona, Brock Lesnar Reportedly Finishing Up Current WWE Run, Xavi Speaks On FC Barcelonas Defensive Masterclass Against Real Madrid Ahead Of Valencia Clash, Manchester City Ready To Sell Bernardo Silva To FC Barcelona And Name Asking Price - Reports, FC Barcelona And Real Madrid Presidents Met To Discuss European Super League Strategy Before El Clasico - Reports, Xavi And Laporta Clash On Raphinha Summer Sale By FC Barcelona - Reports, WWE SmackDown Results: Winners And Grades As Rhodes And Reigns Finally Face Off, Billionaire-Run Villarreal, Almera And Valencia Near Mixed Fortunes In La Liga. James, despite playing like a monster, was heavily outmatched. LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan. LeBron and Michael have the same number of titles at age 31. He has been to the NBA playoffs in 15 of his 18 NBA seasons, and has never missed the second round a streak that is now very much in doubt. (The outlier: the 1973 Celtics, beaten by the Knicks in the Conference Finals) For the first time since 2005, the NBA playoffs won't feature LeBron James. Jordan played with a Finals series lead 79% of the time. LeBron James is ranked among the all-time greats and mentioned in the same breath as legends like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson, to name a few. Crashing through the second-round barrier he challenged LeBron James. +450 The Lakers were the 2nd favorite after the Brooklyn Nets to win the NBA title when the playoffs began. However, another late playoff run by Jordan and company ensued, as they won four straight games to claim their second consecutive championship. Here is a look at all 10 NBA Finals for LeBron James. Played in the first round of the playoffs: 10.049 minutes. James has played in up to 10 NBA Finals. James had been a perfect 14-0 in the first round prior to losing to the rising Suns, who were led by Bookers 47 points and 11 rebounds. Davis is questionable for Thursdays Game 5 with the same groin injury, and even if he plays, he surely wont be operating at 100%. Jae Crowder scored 18 points for the second-seeded Suns, who won three consecutive games to send James to a first-round series loss for the first time in his 18-year NBA career. The duo became the best in the NBA and led the Lakers to best record in the West. James had little help, as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were both showing early signs of age and were struggling mightily this series. Heres a look at LeBrons unprecedented loss By the Numbers: 1 Number of teams remaining who made the Final Four in the Orlando bubble last summer. James and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were banged up with Anthony Davis leaving . (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. over 10 years now, since Shaquille ONeal was a Phoenix Suns player. They were down by 30 at halftime, another first in his career. This time, all three of their stars were healthy. . Jordans first-round winning percentage was .674 (with a 1-9 start), Bryants was .676, Fishers was .740 and Horrys was .750. 2015-16: The Cavaliers were able to reach the NBA Finals once again. You shoot all the bullets youve got and throw the gun too, James said. +165 The latest odds have the Nets and their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden at +165 with the Jazz at +325. In fact, no NBA player has ever gone 14-0 in a first-round series. James has only missed the playoffs three times since entering the NBA in 2003 and has advanced to the NBA Finals on 10 occasions. 2009-10: The Cleveland Cavaliers once again failed to reach the NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics big three in six games in the conference finals. The Cavs then went on to complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, defeating the Warriors. I told LeBron, 'I wanted to quit.' "This is my eighth trip to the Finals and I've had some pretty good ones in my day," he said. How many times has LeBron James lost in the first round of the playoffs? LA seemed to be on its way to taking a stranglehold on the series when they went up 2-1 heading into Game 4 at Staples Center. The 69-year has made a career out of hating on players. The information above considers Michael Jordans prime 1987-1993, although I believe that 1987 was more of an emergence and 1988 marked his true prime. Given that he was drafted in 2003, it is staggering to see the King dominate the league in his 18th year in the league. 2001-02: NBA champions (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Uncategorized . Despite making one of his most famous shots during the series, he couldnt overcome Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, losing to them in six games. Similarly, the 02-03 Lakers were outmatched by San Antonio and crashed out of the playoffs in just the second round at the time. Dwyane Wade. The second . He averaged 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, but nothing he did could have been enough. A look, by the numbers, at this unprecedented moment in James career: 0 The number of times, before this series, that a team with James lost consecutive first-round games. James' first trip to the championship series was in 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavs. The point many miss in the LeBron/MJ GOAT debate. Answer (1 of 8): Three. Yakuza 0 Venus Area. Let us take a look at each time James made it to the playoffs. Rivers won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008 and lost a Finals rematch with the Lakers in 2010. LeBron has been in the playoffs 13 times since the 200506 season. James and the Los Angeles Lakers trail their first-round series against Phoenix 3-2, with Game 6 in Los Angeles on Thursday. Heat 101, Celtics 88 June 9, 2012. Answer (1 of 4): Lebron James in the NBA Finals has been swept twice. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. That year, Lebron dragged the Cavs to the number one seed in the East, but eventually lost to the Celtics in the semis and Telfair was nowhere to be found but along for the ride. James and the Los Angeles Lakers trail their first-round series against Phoenix 3-2, with Game 6 in Los Angeles on Thursday. In a first-round series, LeBron James has never lost (14-0). The Cavaliers, this time without Kyrie Irving, took on the Warriors one more time. This was a prime Spurs team with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. Mar 23, 2019. It is now the fourth time LeBron James has missed the playoffs in his 19-year career; however, it is his second time with the Lakers. How LeBron became the first active billionaire in the NBA. James' inauspicious Game 1 included missing 16 of his 18 shots and turning the ball over 10 times, although he did have nine assists and nine rebounds and got to the line 10 times. The Miami Heat have overcome a 3-1 deficit once - in the 1997 Eastern . He led every game in points scored except for game four and led the game in rebounds three out of the six games. His first debut was in 2004, where he achieved bronze after US was defeated by Argentina in semi-finals. LeBron James, surprisingly to many, has a losing record in the NBA Finals, going 4-6 across his 10 appearances. He led the Cavs to sweep the Wizards, then defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games to book a place in the Eastern Conference Finals. There really is no defending James here specifically, but it is unfair that he catches all the flak. I look forward to the challenge and see if it brings out the best in me and my teammates.. Here's a look at the six times LeBron has met the Celtics in the playoffs. Prior to the start of the season, the Lakers traded for superstar Anthony Davis to pair with James. How much stuff can you bring on deployment? In 19 seasons in the NBA, . The Spurs dominated the Heat, until game six, when Ray Allen made one of the most clutch shots in NBA history. From 2007 to 2010, the Deron Williamsled Jazz had 0.1 expected titles. Until now. Jordan was the better per game scorer, averaging 33.4 points per game in the playoffs, ahead of LeBrons 28.9. James has also been named NBA MVP four times, in seasons 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012 . 3:42; Stephen A.: Steph Curry will eclipse LeBron James and win 5 titles. LeBron James: 3-4. For the first time in his legendary career, LeBron James has lost a first-round playoff series. 2 How many times has LeBron James lost in the first round of the playoffs? Rivers won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008 and lost a Finals rematch with the Lakers in 2010. April 12, 2018Mike Lawrie/Getty ImagesFor the very first . Prepare for a vintage LeBron performance Thursday night. 2014-15: LeBron shocked the world and returned to Cleveland, where he had left four years prior. LeBron James - 2 Times This season was also another MVP season for LeBron. Hes only played one Game 7 in a first-round series in his career, and he dropped 45 points on 64% shooting in that one. The team cruised past the Chicago Bulls in the first round, but ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round. Western Conference First Round. He and the Cavs got swept.