After playing in the league for 22 seasons, it is astonishing that LeBron James still can achieve new records. To be fair, at this age, everything he does Dan be referred to as “never been done before”. The mere fact that he might make an All-NBA team in year 22, at the age of 40, is just unprecedented. That being said, this season, LeBron has a chance to add new teams to his playoffs list. He will definitely cross off one he has never played, but if things work out, he can get three off the list.
The Rarest LeBron Playoff Matchups Might Finally Happen
In his long and illustrious career, LeBron James has never played the Cavaliers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Jazz, Kings, and Lakers in a playoff series. To be fair, he was a member of the Cavaliers for half of his career (11 seasons). The Cavs are the only Eastern Conference team he has not faced in a playoff series.
In the first round of the playoffs, he will play a new team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here is an even funnier fact. A few days ago, Mike Conley talked about facing the Lakers, and he said he has never played against LeBron in the playoffs. Conley has been part of the NBA for 18 seasons, and he is also among the oldest active players in the league. There is a first for everything.
The other two teams LeBron can cross off his playoffs list are the Cavaliers and Clippers. The Cavs have the second-best odds to make the Finals out of the East, and the third-best to win it all. The Lakers have the second-best odds to come out of the West, and fourth-best to win the championship. So, they might meet each other in the NBA Finals. If that happens, LeBron will officially have played against every team in the Eastern Conference.
Playing the Clippers, however, is a long shot. They will have to go through the Nuggets and Thunder, and possibly set up a battle for Los Angeles in the Western Conference Finals. In any case, LeBron will add a new team to his list this season, only widening the gap between him and other players in terms of longevity.
Can He Get To All Teams?
Sadly, LeBron will probably never cross off playing against all 30 teams in the league in a playoff series. At least not unless he plans to change teams. He is now part of the Lakers, and LA is one of the teams he has never played in a playoff series.
In any case, having played against 23 of 30 teams in the league in a playoff series is a testament to his long career. This season, he will play at least one more, if not three more teams.
LeBron James vs. Other Teams in the Playoff
Here is an astonishing stat. LeBron has never lost to three teams in a playoff game, despite playing five total series against them. He is 12-0 against the Hawks, 4-0 against the Bucks, and 4-0 against the Hornets (formerly Bobcats).
Of the 23 teams he has faced in the playoffs, he has a losing record only against six. To be fair, he has played Dallas, Orlando, and Phoenix only once, and lost 4-2 in those series against them. The other three teams are his 5-11 record against the Spurs, 11-17 against the Warriors, and 5-9 against the Nuggets.
He has played the most games against the Celtics with 41, and he is 25-16 against them. Second on the list for most games are the Pacers with 30 (20-10), and third are the Warriors with 28 games.
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