Cleveland Cavaliers fans were once again witnesses to the greatness of LeBron James on Wednesday night. James knocked down the game-winning three-pointer with no time remaining, giving them a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers. It was the fourth game-winning shot of his playoff career, capping off a 44-point, 10-rebound, and 8-assist performance at a time when the Cavaliers needed a lift (and then some) from its fearless leader.
It was more proof that James delivers in clutch moments on the biggest stage.
In his storied 15-year career, this is definitely among the biggest shots he has ever made. But, where does this rank among the most clutch shots of his career?
There is no stage bigger than the NBA Playoffs, so this entire list is based solely on clutch shots that James made in the postseason.
10. Game 3, 2006 First Round, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
This was James’ first foray into the postseason after missing the playoffs during his first two years in the league. The Cavs were just learning how to win and the King was also learning how good he was.
As it turned out, he was actually pretty good.
James delivered a virtuoso performance, scoring 41 points including the game-winning shot from inside the paint to give the team a 97-96 lead with only 5.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The move toward the basket appeared to be a traveling violation that the referees didn’t catch. It didn’t matter, however, as the refs (and the announcers) didn’t see it that way. The Wizards couldn’t answer back despite the red-hot shooting of Gilbert Arenas ,who had 17 points in the fourth.
“We are two All-Stars,” James said referring to Arenas. “We don't want our teams to lose the game. It was unfortunate that one team had to lose, but I am happy I was on the winning side. It was a great performance by myself and Gilbert.”
9. Game 5, 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
Just a few months after the Decision, the Heat were looking to justify the coming together of three transcendent superstars (James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) in the summer of 2010. The only way they could validate their union was by winning a championship. To do that, they had to get past the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In a series that was much tougher than it looked, the Heat entered Game 5 with the chance to clinch the series. Unfortunately, the Heat were trailing by 12 points with less than four minutes remaining. That’s when Wade and James staged a comeback for the ages. The duo went on an 18-3 run the rest of the way to catapult the Heat to the 2011 NBA Finals.
“There's no sense of relief right now,” James said. “We've still got work to do. We'll look at this moment tonight, have a little bit of time tomorrow to go over this moment, what we just accomplished. But we get ready for Dallas very soon. We don't take for granted this win and take for granted being Eastern Conference champions.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=228&v=KgLMI784M4E
During that epic run, James made two clutch three-pointers, one at the two-minute mark to cut the lead to five, and then another one just 60 seconds later to tie the ballgame at 79-all. Finally, he knocked down the go-ahead jumper from about 19 feet with 29.5 seconds remaining to give the Heat the lead for good, 81-79.
James scored 28 points and added 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
8. Game 5, 2006 First Round, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
For the second time in less than a week, the Cavaliers needed James to rescue them in the dying seconds of a game. Fortunately for the Cavs, he never tires of carrying them on his back.
Down by a point with 3.6 seconds to go in overtime, the 14-time All-Star weaved his way through four defenders to give his team a one-point lead. The Wizards only had 0.9 seconds left to score but didn’t have a timeout so they had to force up a wild shot from beyond half court, which missed badly.
“I had enough room on the baseline,” James said after the game. “If I wore an 18 or 19 size shoe, I wouldn't have made it. But I wear a 16 and was able to tightrope that baseline to get a layup.”
He finished the game with 45 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Cleveland closed out the series in the sixth game.
7. Game 6, 2013 NBA Finals, Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
This game is most famous for Ray Allen’s game-tying three-pointer with 5.2 seconds to go to send the game to overtime. The Heat won 103-100 in the extra period to send the series to a Game 7.
Most only remember that it was Allen who made the clutch shot after James missed a three-pointer. Chris Bosh rebounded the miss and quickly zipped a pass to Allen for tying trey.
But, the events that led to Allen’s historic shot have been lost to NBA fans and many of the media as well. LeBron-haters, such as Fox’s Skip Bayless, only remember James’ turnovers toward the end and the missed three. What they skip (pun intended, of course) is the fact that James led a furious comeback by the Heat from a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter. The future Hall-of-Famer scored 14 points in the final frame, including a three-pointer with 20.1 seconds remaining in the game that brought the Heat to within two points.
“We seen the championship board already out there, the yellow tape. And you know, that's why you play the game to the final buzzer,” James said. “And that's what we did tonight. We gave it everything that we had and more.”
If not for James’ heroics which culminated in the clutch three from James, Allen’s own three-pointer would not have had any value at all and would be lost in the annals of history as nothing more than an afterthought.
6. Game 1, 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
The Heat were fighting to keep homecourt advantage in this game. The Pacers were a tough defensive team with Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and David West.
Down by one with 2 seconds remaining, the play was set for James to receive the ball from the top of the key. When George gambled on a steal, James’ eyes grew wide when he saw a clear path to the basket on the left side. After he turned right with speed uncommon to most men his size, James laid the ball up with his off hand. George (and the rest of the Pacers, for that matter) was too late to stop the LeBron freight train.
Though not as spectacular as a buzzer-beating jumper, it was no less effective as the Heat narrowly escaped with a much-needed 103-102 win in overtime.
“Two teams fought hard,” James said. “We were able to make one more play.”
5. Game 5, 2018 Eastern Conference First Round Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
The revamped Cavaliers are struggling to score in the 2018 playoffs. The supporting cast is looking to James to carry them through their shooting woes, and they were not disappointed.
With the score knotted up at 95 points apiece and 3.0 seconds remaining in a must-win Game 5 (series tied at 2-2), James nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key to send the series back to Indiana with the Cavs up 3-2.
The Pacers rallied from seven points down to tie the game in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. As usual, the play was drawn for James to give them the win. By scoring 44 for the game, the Cavs forward had his second 40-point game of the playoffs after he had 46 in the Game 2 win.
The game-winner showed how much James has grown accustomed to taking and making clutch shots with time expiring on the clock.
“As a kid you always have those 3, 2, 1 moments and that's what it kind of felt like,” James said. “I felt like I was a kid all over again playing basketball at my house on makeshift hoops and my socks as a basketball.”
4. Game 4, 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
The series was a continuation of the rivalry that James started with the Bulls when he was with the Miami Heat during the 2010-11 season. The 6-foot-8 forward lost in the Most Valuable Player race to Derrick Rose, who led Chicago to the best record in the NBA at 62-20. Many felt that James deserved the MVP award and that Rose was just the recipient by virtue of his team’s record. Nevertheless, James would take his frustrations out on the Bulls whenever they faced each other in the playoffs, and the Heat would always come out on top.
In the 2014 conference semifinals, the Bulls held a 2-1 lead in the series after stealing homecourt advantage from the Cavs with a win in Game 1. In Game 3, Rose nailed a buzzer-beating three to defeat the Cavs and cast a cloud of doubt on Cleveland’s chances of winning the series.
The score was tied with 1.5 seconds left when coach David Blatt drew up a play which James said he waived off. He wanted the ball for the game-winner and sure enough, he received the rock from the left side of the basket. He launched a jumper over the outstretched arms of premier defender Jimmy Butler. You know what happened next.
The shot went in as TNT announcer Mike Breen screamed, “It’s good! LeBron James at the buzzer! Stuns the Chicago Bulls and the series is tied at two games apiece!”
Later, James would tell reporters what transpired in the huddle.
“I was supposed to take the ball out,” James said in the postgame interview. “I told Coach there was no way I'm taking the ball out unless I could shoot it over the backboard and go in. So I told him, ‘Have somebody else take the ball out.' The play that was drawn up, I scratched it. I just told Coach, ‘Just give me the ball. We're either going to go into overtime or I'm going to win it for us.'”
He scored 25 points but shot only 10-of-30 for the game. In spite of his poor shooting, James made the big shot when it mattered most.
The Cavs closed out the series by winning the next two games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. It also signaled the last time that the Bulls with Rose would be relevant.
3. Game 5, 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons
When it comes to clutch shots, James displayed his full arsenal here. He made one big shot after one big shot as he scored the Cavs’ final 25 points and 29 of their final 30.
“This is unbelievable! This is Jordanesque,” Steve Kerr said after James scored on a three-pointer with two minutes remaining in the second overtime to tie the ball game at 107-all.
Later, with neither team still scoring a bucket to break the tie, James drove to the basket passing by four Pistons and scored on a layup with two seconds remaining in the second overtime with the Cavs up, 109-107.
Asked about the game-winning layup, James told the media what his mentality was as he went to work on the last shot.
“Why should I be surprised? I was making a lot of great moves,” James said. “They are definitely a great defensive team, but I was determined to attack.”
2. Game 2, 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
The 2008-09 Cavaliers were at the top of the NBA’s standings at 66-16 with a defense that was one of the best in the league. However, the team had trouble guarding All-Star center Dwight Howard, who was an immovable force in this series. Fortunately for the Cavs, they had a player who was unstoppable.
Despite having homecourt advantage in Game 1, the Cavs lost to the Magic behind Howard’s power and his team’s three-point shooting.
Game 2 seemed to be following the same script as the Cavs were down by two in the dying seconds of the game. James received a pass from the top of the key a few feet outside the three-point line. The shot was contested so James had to put up a rainbow jumper. The ball rattled in and the Cavaliers players ran toward James to celebrate their first win of the series. The three capped a 35-point performance from James, which prevented a monumental collapse from the Cavs.
“You couldn't hear anything but a roar,” James said. “Those fans deserved it. That was the biggest shot I've made in my career.”
The moment is repeated over and over in many of the NBA’s videos promoting the playoffs.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, they lost the series 4-2 with the Magic advancing to the NBA Finals to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
1. Game 7, 2013 NBA Finals, Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
An NBA Finals Game 7 is always a game that brings out the best and the worst out of players. It’s a good thing for the Heat that Game 7’s always bring out the best in James.
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs were always testing his jump shot, backing off of him through much of the series.
In the final game of the NBA postseason, James decided to trust his instincts and all of the hard work he had done practicing thousands of jump shots over the years. LeBron hit one jumper after another, as he carried the Heat in the biggest game of the season.
In the waning moments and the Heat up by two, 90-88, Tim Duncan missed a point-blank shot at the rim and a tip-in attempt. He had his chance, and now it was James’ turn. With 39 seconds remaining, James had the ball in his hands as he went one-on-one with Kawhi Leonard.
After a screen from Mario Chalmers, James found himself momentarily open with Leonard trying to catch up. The King calmly nailed the jumper with 27.9 seconds remaining, giving Miami a four-point lead, 92-88. He was then fouled by Duncan after a steal, and the free throws gave Cleveland a comfortable 6-point lead with only 23.5 seconds left. That proved to be an insurmountable lead as the Heat won back-to-back championships.
“I work on my game a lot throughout the offseason,” said James. “I put a lot of work into it and to be able to come out here and (have) the results happen out on the floor is the ultimate. The ultimate. I'm at a loss for words.”
James finished the ball game with 37 points on 12-of-23 shooting including five three-pointers to go with 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He was named the 2013 NBA Finals MVP.
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