National Basketball Association

Nine times LeBron James had 'no regard for human life'

Published May. 28, 2015 2:00 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Teddy Mitrosilis

There's never been anyone quite like LeBron James.

The size, speed, strength, explosiveness, instinct, intelligence — it's an extraordinary combination of mental and physical ability.

Enjoy these nine times when that brilliant skill set was on display and nobody could do anything to stop him.

Let's start with a ferocious dunk and a masterful call.

1. LeBron has "no regard for human life"

In Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals, LeBron threw down one of the best dunks of his career. He came around a screen, blew by Boston's James Posey and then rose up and slammed on Kevin Garnett. It was pure and undeniable power, punctuated by Kevin Harlan's classic description.

2. LeBron scores 56 points as a 20-year-old

On March 20, 2005, James became the youngest player ever to score 50 points in a game. He shot 50 percent from the field (18 of 36) and on 3-pointers (6 of 12) against Toronto while adding 10 rebounds and five assists. It was one of the first nights in which LeBron made us think, "This dude has NO ceiling as a basketball talent, does he?" Nope.

3. LeBron notches triple-double in first career playoff game

Before Game 1 of the first round in the 2006 playoffs, fans in Cleveland received T-shirts that read "Witness," marking the beginning of James' postseason career. Of course, he was unreal in his debut, notching a triple-double — 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists — to lead the Cavs over the Washington Wizards. Cleveland would lose to the Detroit Pistons in the next round, but it foreshadowed the postseason greatness that would later come from LBJ.

4. The 48-point special

There might not be any finer individual LeBron moment than Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. James was unstoppable, scoring 48 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists in a double-overtime victory over the Pistons. LeBron scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points on 3-point daggers, sick dunks and seemingly everything in between. Watch this performance again and relish it. We probably won't see this kind of takeover from James again.

5. LeBron destroys Boston

Down 3-2 to Boston in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, LeBron dropped 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists on the road as the Heat crushed the Celtics in Game 6. It was complete dominance, as James became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to put up a 45-15-5 line in the playoffs. Miami would win Game 7 and then beat Oklahoma City to secure LeBron's first championship. The Celtics never had a say in the matter — LeBron was just too good. Watch these highlights and see how a possessed competitor operates.

6. Prayers for John Lucas

There's nothing more vicious on a basketball court than what LeBron did to Lucas on Jan. 29, 2012 against the Bulls. LBJ came around the right side and went skyward for an alley-oop from Dwyane Wade. Lucas was in the way, so what happened? LeBron jumped over him. No biggie. The crazy thing is how effortless this looks, as if he's not burdened by typical human limitations.

7. LeBron's masterpiece at MSG

On Feb. 4, 2009, LeBron took over Madison Square Garden in a way only few players could. He crushed the Knicks, scoring 52 points to go along with nine rebounds and 11 assists. Two nights earlier, Kobe Bryant dropped 61 points on the Garden, but LeBron's all-around performance was more impressive. He had no problem wiping his feet all over the Garden's living-room carpet.

8. LeBron drops career-high 61 points on Charlotte

On March 3, 2014 — wearing a mask to protect his broken nose — LeBron quite literally turned into a superhero. He scored a career-high 61 to annihilate the Bobcats, making 22-of-33 shots, including his first eight 3-pointers. Charlotte was elite in defensive efficiency that season, but it didn't matter at all. James hit from deep, he hit step-back Js, he threw down monster dunks — it was incredible. Here's every field goal of his from that game.

9. LeBron rips out Orlando's heart

In Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals, LeBron hit an incredible game-winning, buzzer-beater with one second left on the clock to beat the Magic. He finished the game with 35 points, five assists and four rebounds. The Cavs would end up losing the series in six games, but this shot was a harbinger of big shots to come from LBJ. Watch the degree of difficult on this 3 and remember the time when "Can LeBron come through in the clutch?" was still an actual question asked on sports-talk shows. How absurd.

Want more? We ranked LeBron's top 10 playoff series.

Teddy Mitrosilis works in content production at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association