LeBron James: Top 10 Best Career Performances
10) May 22, 2009: Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 vs. Orlando Magic
One of LeBron James’ most memorable performances came against the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, it was a performance so emotional that James and his teammates could hardly contain it.
The Cavs were trailing the series after losing Game 1 on their home court. James and Hedo Turkoglu had a great battle going throughout the course of the two games, and the Cavs were on the heels of losing the second game of the series at home.
Michael Jordan has several signature shots, including rising over Cavs guard Craig Ehlo, but LeBron didn’t have a signature shot, until Game 2. James rose over Turkoglu and hit a game-winning three pointer to send the series to Orlando even.
The shot was part of a 35-point performance where LeBron accounted for 36.5 percent of the Cavs’ 96 points, with none bigger than the last three. James’ all-around type performance also included five rebounds and four assists.
Cleveland would go on to lose the series in six games, but LeBron claimed his signature shot. He also put together one of the best performances in a NBA series by averaging 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.
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9) Feb. 4, 2009: Big Game In The Big Apple
LeBron James had an all-time great performance in one of the most difficult venues to win in, the historic Madison Square Garden.
The Los Angeles Lakers played the New York Knicks at The Garden, when Kobe Bryant electrified the crowd with a 61-point performance, setting the bar for LeBron.
James scored 52 points on a 17-of-33 (51.5 percent) shooting performance and going 16-for-19 (84.2 percent) from the free throw line. His scoring onslaught wasn’t enough, as he had nine rebounds and 11 assists on a memorable night in the Big Apple.
The signature moment was one of many in LeBron’s first MVP season. It was a historic night that proved he was up for any challenge thrown his way. The Cavs won the game 107-102 behind LeBron’s performance and improved to 39-9 on the season.
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8) March 20, 2005: One Of Many NBA Records
LeBron James will hold a number of records when he decides to hang up his sneakers, but one that will be upheld for a long time is his 56-point performance against the Toronto Raptors. At 20 years old, he made his mark on the NBA by becoming the youngest player to score 50 points.
James’ game took a leap during the 2004-05 season because he was better physically, mentally and had a full year under his belt. It’s fitting that his numbers rose in every area of his game, and this performance was the first instance where LeBron proved he could take over a game.
James finished the game with a double-double by adding 10 rebounds to his 56 points. He connected on 18-of-36 shots (50.0 percent) and was 14-for-15 (93.3 percent) from the free throw line. His mighty performance came in a 105-98 loss, but he was the story of the game.
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7) Feb. 3, 2011: Bringing The Heat
LeBron James made a decision to leave Cleveland and head south to play basketball with his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
After making the decision to join the Miami Heat, James caught a lot of heat for his decision, but his 51-point performance against the Magic silenced the critics.
James hit his first 11 shots against the Magic on what would become one of his most efficient shooting nights of his career. He was 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) shooting and added 14 points from the free-throw line.
He also had 11 rebounds and eight assists during one of his all-time great performances.
James silenced his critics with this efficient night where everything was falling. He scored 23 of Miami’s 30 (76.7 percent) first-quarter points on their way to a 104-100 win.
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6) May 20, 2012: Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 4 vs. Indiana Pacers
LeBron James plays at his best with his team’s back against the wall. That was the case in a must-win Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. The Heat were down 2-1 in the series and needed to even up the series at the risk of falling behind 3-1.
James delivered one of his greatest playoff performances in a 101-93 win on the road. He scored 40 points on 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) shooting and was also 12-for-16 (75.0 percent) from the free throw line. His 40-point, 18-rebound, nine-assist performance was dominant.
James had help in his friend Wade, who had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but it was LeBron who carried the Heat with a vintage performance. The Heat wouldn’t lose again in the series, winning it in six games.
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5) March 3, 2014: LeBron Sets His Career High
Next in the line of masterful performances by LeBron James is the night he set his career-high for points. He broke the Heat’s franchise record of 57 points, set by Glen Rice, by scoring 61 points.
James had another historic night against the Charlotte Bobcats, now Hornets, with another efficient shooting performance. James was 22-for-33 (66.7 percent) from the field and an incredible 8-for-10 (80.0 percent) from three-point range.
In addition to his career-high 61 points, LeBron also had seven rebounds and five assists. Bobcats center Al Jefferson probably had the best game of his career with 38 points and 19 rebounds. James wouldn’t be outdone, as he led the Heat to a 124-107 win.
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4) June 13, 2016: NBA Finals Game 5 vs. Golden State Warriors
With the Cavs’ back against the wall, LeBron would not let Cleveland fall. His Game 5 performance of the NBA Finals will go down as an all-time great Finals performance. In that game, he had 41 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks.
James’ big game came with the Cavs trailing the series 3-1 against the defending champion Golden State Warriors and in Oakland, nonetheless. His performance was coupled with Kyrie Irving‘s 41 points to send the series to Game 6 in a 112-97 win.
James’ big performance came on a 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) shooting night. His dominant night on the glass was and relentlessness on the defensive end fueled the Cavs to force Game 6 to head back to Cleveland.
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3) June 16, 2016: NBA Finals Game 6 vs. Golden State Warriors
LeBron James followed his Game 5 performance up with an even better performance in front of the home crowd in Game 6. James scored 41 points for the second straight game while facing elimination in the NBA Finals.
James was more efficient in Game 6 shooting 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) from the field, he was 3-for-6 from three-point range and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
He also set his teammates up with 11 assists. He was a force on the defensive end with eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
James’ performance was pure dominance. In the three games the Cavs faced elimination, he averaged 36.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game, going 3-0 in that stretch and delivering Cleveland their first major sports championship since 1964.
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2) June 7, 2012: Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 vs. Boston Celtics
LeBron James gets stronger and better when he has his back against the wall like it was in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
The Heat trailed the series 3-2 entering the Boston Garden with the stakes high and the pressure of being dubbed a failure after joining his friends Wade and Bosh in Miami.
James scored 30 of his 45 points in the first half and had an all-around efficient game. He connected on 19-of-26 shots (73.1 percent), including hitting two three-pointers and adding five points from the free-throw line.
James was a force on the glass, grabbing 15 rebounds and appeared to have a mindset that he wasn’t going to lose that game. His 45-point, 15-rebound, five-assist performance led the Heat to a 98-79 win over the Celtics.
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Honorable Mention
LeBron James has had some great performances that didn’t make the cut, including two Game 7 performances that willed his team to NBA championships. The first comes as a member of the Heat.
LeBron James scored 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
He was 12-for-23 (52.2 percent) from the field hitting 5-of-10 three-pointers and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He led the Heat to their second NBA championship in the Big Three’s tenure, despite Bosh scoring zero points.
Miami also had a big night from Wade, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Shane Battier, who scored 18 points off the bench. The Heat won the game 95-88 and James clinched his second NBA Finals MVP Award.
LeBron James’ signature highlight was a block on Andre Iguodala, which was the defining moment of Game 7 against the Warriors. James performance was historic as he joined Jerry West and James Worthy as the only players in NBA Finals history to record a triple-double in Game 7.
James scored 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists in a 93-89 win to clinch the Finals and his third NBA Finals MVP Award.
It wasn’t one of LeBron’s most efficient performances, shooting 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from the field and 1-for-5 (20.0 percent) from three-point range. His signature block will go down as one of the greatest moments in NBA History.
That leaves one game as LeBron’s best of his career.
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1) May 31, 2007: Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 vs. Detroit Pistons
LeBron James willed the Cavs past the Detroit Pistons, who were playing in their fourth straight Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron’s best performance comes at the ripe age of 22 years old against one of the most complete teams.
It took double overtime for the Cavs to knock off the Pistons 109-107, all thanks to James’ gutsy performance.
LeBron scored the Cavs’ final 25 points, and 29 of the team’s last 30 to will the Cavs to the victory. He tallied 48 on an 18-of-33 (54.5 percent) shooting performance. He had nine rebounds and seven assists and took over a game like nobody had seen since Michael Jordan.
James capped his 48-point performance in his 50th minute by hitting a game-winning shot with 2.2 seconds remaining. He would then lead the Cavs past the Pistons in Game 6 to dethrone Detroit from one of their best runs atop the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland would ultimately lose to the Spurs, but the performance by James in Game 5 will go down as one of the best NBA Playoff performances in the history of the game, and it came when he was 22 years old.
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