LeBron James' Top Career Playoffs Performances as the 2016 NBA Finals Looms
The King has had some epic games in the post-season.
It is without a doubt that LeBron James will go down as one of the best players to ever step on the court.
The mix of size, speed, strength and athleticism makes him as a very unpredictable player who can do almost anything on both ends of the floor.
With those strengths, James has a lot of trophies to prove that. He has won a few NBA championships, has lifted the Most Valuable Player award a number of times, and is continuing to climb the rankings on different stats.
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However, a player is defined by his great moments when they truly count. And in the NBA, the playoffs and finals are the true tests of superstardom.
James – never one to shy away from the critics, has always stepped up to the plate.
And this year, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is showing that he is still one of the best players in the league.
Looking back at his illustrious career, here are five of the best playoff performances of King James.
1. June 12, 2012 vs the Oklahoma City Thunder
We start off with an NBA Finals battle between James and Kevin Durant as the Oklahoma City Thunder battled the Miami Heat.
Many expected the Heat to make it back to the finals despite losing to the Dallas Mavericks the previous year, but they were also eager to see what Durant had to offer for the Thunder.
However, it was James who would be the star of the series, helping the Heat win in five games.
During this day, James struggled and suffered leg cramps in their matchup. Being Game 4 of the series, James did his best to make it to the floor where he would make clutch shots to help secure the win, finishing with 26 point, 12 assists and nine rebounds – only one shy of a triple double.
2. May 9, 2009 vs the Atlanta Hawks
James has constantly been a thorn to the Atlanta Hawks', and it goes way back in 2009.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinal battle, James led the Cavs to a Game 3 win by scoring 47 big points on only 25 shots.
He would also go to the line 16 times and drained 12 of those. Above all that, James also grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists.
The Cavaliers would go on to eventually sweep the Hawks.
3. May 20, 2012 vs the Indiana Pacers
Another team very familiar with James are the Indiana Pacers. Led by Paul George, they have had some epic duels in the playoffs and the regular season.
However, during this time, James had to carry the Heat to victory as they trailed the Eastern Conference Finals series 2-1.
At this time, James turned up his game to come close to a dominating triple-double with 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.
His inspired performance helped the team tie the series, where they would eventually win the next two games to book their spot in the NBA Finals.
4. May 31, 2007 vs the Detroit Pistons
In what looked like a coming out party for James, the Cleveland Cavaliers were given the tough task to battle the Detroit Pistons who were also searching to come back to the NBA Finals.
Down 2-0 at one point in the series, the Cavaliers outlasted the Pistons in double overtime 109-107 in Game 5 of the series to take the 3-2 lead.
They would also go ahead and eliminate the Pistons in the Conference Finals to face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
In that epic game, James scored 48 points, grab nine rebounds and dish out seven assists in the win.
Most impressive is that James scored 25 of the last 29 points for the Cavaliers as they gutted out the much-deserved victory.
5. June 7, 2012 vs the Boston Celtics
Here, James faced off against another Eastern Conference powerhouse in the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and they found themselves down 3-2 entering Game 6.
Played in Boston, many thought that the Celtics would take care of business – but apparently, James did not get the memo.
He would play with his heart out and produce a stellar performance of 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
James shot an astounding 19-of-26 from the field as he forced a Game 7 and lifted his team over the hump.
These are only five of the many performances that would define James' career. It is far from over as he is still in the hunt for another title.
