LeBron James' Top 10 game-winning shots of all-time in the NBA playoffs
LeBron James has the most points scored in NBA postseason history. "The King" has produced many memorable moments, shots and game-winners throughout his illustrious career.
James made his playoff debut in 2006 against the Washington Wizards. He made an immediate impact for the Cleveland Cavaliers with two game-winners in his first-ever postseason series.
While the four-time MVP has been scrutinized for folding in clutch moments early in his career, James overcame it and became one of the best players in late-game situations.
Now, let's take a look at LeBron's best game-winning shots ever in the playoffs:
#10 LeBron leads comeback vs Bulls (Game 5 - 2011 ECF)
With the score tied at 79, LeBron James hit a stepback jump shot with 29.5 seconds left in the game to give the Miami Heat the lead over the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose split his free throws on the next possession before Chris Bosh iced the game at the charity stripe.
It wasn't the prettiest game-winning shot since Rose had a chance to tie the game. Nevertheless, James and the Heat got the job done to make it to the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
#9 Clutch shot against Atlanta (Game 3 - 2015 ECF)
LeBron James was a nightmare for many Eastern Conference teams during his career. One of the teams he haunted was the Atlanta Hawks, facing off in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.
With the Hawks up by two in Game 3, James hit the go-ahead shot to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a one-point advantage. "The King" would put the game away with a dagger layup on their next possession. The Cavs won the game and proceeded to sweep Atlanta.
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#8 Did he travel? (Game 3 - 2006 First Round)
LeBron James immediately made an impact in his postseason debut in 2006. He hit the first-ever game-winning shot of his postseason career in Game 3 of the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the Wizards up by a point and the series tied at 1-1, James hit a tough shot over Michael Ruffin to give the Cavs the lead back. He might have gotten away with a travel call, but officials didn't see it.
#7 From the baseline against the Wizards (Game 5 - 2006 First Round)
LeBron James came up clutch again for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 against the Washington Wizards. With the Wizards leading 120-119 in overtime, James received a pass with 3.6 seconds left in the game.
James carefully ran down the baseline to hit the game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds left. It showed his speed and awareness, finishing off the Wizards to give the Cavs the 3-2 series lead.
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#6 Easy layup in overtime against Pacers (Game 1 - 2013 ECF)
The Indiana Pacers posed a threat to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair that needed overtime to see a winner.
The Pacers had a 102-101 lead with 2.2 seconds left in the game. However, Paul George was unable to contain James, who scored the game-winning, buzzer-beating layup to give the Heat the Game 1 victory.
#5 Pull up 3-pointer vs Indiana (Game 5 - 2018 First Round)
LeBron James continued to terrorize the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs. James put the Cavaliers on his back that postseason and it took seven games to dispose of the Pacers.
In Game 5 of the series, James hit the game-winning pull-up three-point shot at the buzzer. It showed that the 19-time All-Star was no longer afraid of the clutch moments, making sure that the Cavaliers got the last laugh against Indiana.
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#4 Stunner in Chicago (Game 4 - 2015 ECSF)
Another buzzer-beater on LeBron James' resume is his shot against the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals matchup in 2015. Derrick Rose hit the game-winner in Game 3, but James didn't want to get outdone.
With the game tied at 84 with 1.5 seconds left in Game 4, James hit a jump shot over Jimmy Butler to give the Cavs the win. He was mauled by his teammates afterward, just like what the Bulls did to Rose in Game 3.
#3 LeBronto (Game 3 - 2018 ECSF)
In addition to the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, LeBron James also put fear in the hearts of the Toronto Raptors. When the Raptors finished the 2017-18 season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, some thought that they had a chance.
However, the Raptors were just no match for James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. James hit an insane game-winner in Game 3 to give the Cavs a commanding 3-0 lead. James' dominance against the Raptors gave birth to the name "LeBronto."
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#2 "LeBron for the win" against Magic (Game 2 - 2009 ECF)
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were dominated by the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. However, James had arguably one of the best shots of his career in Game 2 of that series.
With Orlando up 95-93 with one second left, James pulled one out of his bag. He hit a high-arching, game-winning buzzer-beating 3-point shot to give the Cavaliers the victory.
#1 LeBron James scores last 25 points for Cavs against Detroit (Game 5 - 2007 ECF)
If you ask any LeBron James fan, they will likely tell you that his best postseason performance came against the Detroit Pistons in 2007. James scored 48 points in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, including 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points in the 4th quarter and overtime.
He also hit the game-winning layup with 2.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The momentum the Cavs got from this win propelled them to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
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