Listing LeBron James' Top 3 games in the NBA playoffs based on field goals
Some of the biggest arguments in LeBron James' case to be considered the NBA's GOAT are his durability and his sustained greatness. His unbelievable skill and ability to impact a game have helped him break almost every all-time record in the NBA playoffs, including most games played (260) and points scored (7,491).
James' greatest days in the NBA have all come during the playoffs, and he's looked comfortable in high-pressure situations in almost every series since he managed to break through and win the 2012 championship with the Miami Heat.
James played in the NBA Finals every year from 2011 to 2018, and some of those efforts came almost exclusively due to his greatness and dominance over the Eastern Conference.
A four-time NBA champion and four-time Finals MVP, James is arguably the greatest player in league history, and he's been dominant in the postseason.
LeBron James' top three playoff performances in terms of field goals
He's had some of the most unique statistical lines ever seen in the NBA Finals and the postseason overall, including leading both teams in every statistic recorded during the 2016 Finals (the only player to ever do it).
This article focuses on field goals and highlights James' three playoff games with his most field goals.
If James had multiple games with the same number of field goals, it will be mentioned, but the game highlighted will be the one in which he scored the most points.
No. 3: 19 field goals | 2012 Eastern Conference finals, Game 6
LeBron James has scored 19 field goals or more five times in the playoffs, and he is, accordingly, the all-time leader in field goals in that stage.
One of those games came in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals and was one of his greatest playoff performances – and one of the greatest ever seen.
With the Miami Heat down 3-2 against the Boston Celtics and with James facing lots of pressure (he did not have an NBA title at the time), "The King" came up with a unique performance of 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while making 19 of his 26 shots to force a Game 7.
That performance catapulted the Miami Heat to the 2012 championship, which was James' first, while he also earned Finals MVP honors.
No. 2: 19 field goals | 2018 Finals, Game 1
The 2018 Finals ended with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors sweeping James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the series could've started quite differently if J.R. Smith's blunder in the final second of Game 1 had not happened.
However, Smith did forget the score of the game, and James' 51-point effort was wasted.
That night, James had his playoff career high and was tremendously efficient throughout the entire game. It is James' only 50-point playoff game, and he converted 19 of his 32 attempts from the field, 3 of 7 3-point shots and 10 of 11 foul shots.
No. 1: 20 field goals | 2009 Eastern Conference finals, Game 1
James' biggest highlight from the 2009 Eastern Conference finals (which his Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in six games) came in Game 2, when he made a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer that tied the series and seemed to give momentum to Cleveland.
However, James put up a tremendous 49-point effort in Game 1, while also adding eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Dwight Howard's Magic escaped with a one-point win on the road, while James converted 20 of his 30 shots.
James' 20 field goals are the most of his postseason career, and he was just four short of the all-time single-game record (held by Michael Jordan, John Havlicek and Wilt Chamberlain).
Throughout his 19-year career, including the regular season, James has made at least 20 field goals in a game three times, with his regular-season career high being 23 field goals.