LeBron James has been to the last six NBA finals. Most players in the NBA will tell you, one has to be extremely lucky to see even a finals appearance during the entirety of his NBA career. James has been to the finals more times in his career than not reaching the big dance — seven out of his 13 full NBA campaigns so far.
With the Cavaliers emphatically sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first-round behind James’ extraordinary series, he may be knocking on the doorstep of his seventh straight Finals and eighth overall come June.
Many people remember James dominating during his time in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as his recent success with the Cavaliers since he returned home. What many fail to remember however, is a 22 turning 23-year-old James taking a no-name Cavaliers team to the Finals in his first stint when that roster had absolutely no business being there.
More than likely you’ll only recognize ex-teammate Anderson Varejao since he last played this season before being cut by the Golden State Warriors. Everyone else has moved along, which highlights how much that team overachieved. James was at the heart of everything magical for that playoff run which ended in a finals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
His displays included one of the greatest playoff performances you are likely to ever see, as James dropped 48 points, had nine rebounds and dished seven assists in a double-overtime thriller win against the powerhouse Detroit Pistons on the road, 109-107. He scored 25 of the last 29 points for the Cavs, as he sliced through the Pistons’ defense attacking the rim and hitting impossible jumpers.
Performances like this earned James the reputation as one of, if not the greatest playoff performer in NBA history.
If you thought Russell Westbrook carried the Thunder this season, it’s worthwhile to re-visit some NBA archives, as it was a shadow of what James did with a greatly inferior roster exactly a decade ago.