By the numbers: LeBron James in a most unusual position
LeBron James has entered uncharted waters
He has been in the NBA playoffs in 15 of his 18 NBA seasons, and never missed the second round—a streak that is now in great doubt. James and the Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their first-round series against the Phoenix 3-2 with Game 6 in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Game 7, if necessary, is back in Phoenix on Saturday.
James' 14-0 record in a first-round series -- counting his time in Cleveland, his four-year run in Miami and now his Lakers tenure -- is beyond comparison in NBA history. Robert Horry and Derek Fischer both played in the first round 16 times; Their teams were 16–0 ahead in those series. He is the only player to have had more success in the first round than James.
Now, he is on the verge of doing something he has never experienced before. From here the approach is simple.
"Whatever bullets you have, you shoot them and throw the gun," James said. "I look forward to the environment. Obviously, our lay loyalists are going to give us a lot of energy. I look forward to this moment. I look forward to the challenge and see if it brings out the best in me and my teammates." .
This is the first time James has been in a team that is trailing after five matches in the first round of the series. He played an elimination game in the first round, three years before Indiana took Cleveland in Game 7.
Yet there are numbers, especially in Phoenix's Game 5 romp, the likes of which James has never had to make before.
Their Lakers lost by 22 points in the second quarter of Game 5, the most one-sided quarter James has been on the wrong end during a playoff game. He was under 30 at halftime, the first time in his career.
A look by the numbers, at this unprecedented moment in James' career:
0 - The number of times before this series a team with James has lost consecutive first round games. Entering these playoffs, a team with James was 11–0 in a first-round game immediately after the loss. The Lakers are 1-2 after this series loss.
1 - James has faced an elimination game only once in the first round of the playoffs, which is Game 7 of the 2018 opening round between Cleveland and Indiana. James scored 45 points and the Cavaliers won 105–101.
2 - Number of players with a better series record in a first-round matchup than James. Robert Horry and Derek Fischer were both 16–0 in the first round. For comparison, Karl Malone and John Stockton were both 10-9, Michael Jordan was 10-3 and Kobe Bryant was 13-2.
14-10 - James' record in elimination games. Their Cleveland teams were 9–8 when facing elimination, their Miami teams were 5–2, and this is the first time they have faced elimination as a member of the Lakers.
21 - James' teams once won 21 consecutive first-round games, starting with Miami and Cleveland in 2012 through to the start of the 2012 playoffs.
22.2 - James' scoring average so far this series against Phoenix. This is his lowest average in 15 matches in the first round of his career. He has had a low average in only two of his last 49 playoff series; He averaged 22.0 points in Cleveland's 2007 NBA Finals loss to San Antonio and Miami's 2011 NBA Finals loss to Dallas.
128 - The number of players appearing in at least 44 first-round games in the NBA's 16-team playoff format since 1984. (The number goes to 129 when Jay Crowder plays for Phoenix in Game 6.) Neither of them has a better record in those games than James; Their teams lead 58-14, with a winning percentage of .806. Jordan's win percentage was .674 (with 1–9 starts), Bryant had .676, Fischer had .740 and Horie had .750. Malone (44-42) was barely over .500 in first round games and Stockton (43-43) was exactly .500.