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LeBron James, even when he was a bright-eyed phenom who jumped from high school to the NBA, has always been compared to Michael Jordan. As “King James” winds down his career, the comparisons have only gotten more intense. Both are usually the top choices for the mantle of the greatest to play in the said league.
The current LA Lakers superstar is in the midst of an embarrassing slump against the Denver Nuggets. LA’s 112-105 loss to the defending champs on Thursday made it 11 consecutive disappointments at the hands of Nikola Jokic and Co., including the playoffs. The Lakers are down 0-3 this year in the postseason after exiting the 2023 Western Conference Finals without a single win.
LeBron James, though, is in a better spot than Michael Jordan was from 1986 to 1987 against Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics.
Michael Jordan went 0-for-13 against Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics from 1986 until 1987, including the playoffs
When Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were the unquestioned kings of the East. The only team that gave them a tough seven-game series was Magic Johnson’s “Showtime Lakers.”
During the 1985-86 season, the two teams met in back-to-back games in mid-December. Boston won 109-104 in the first meeting before Chicago got their revenge two nights later with a 116-108 result. Jordan’s Bulls will not win again until 1987.
The Celtics won their next three regular-season meetings before thumping them 3-0 in the first round of the 1986 playoffs. Michael Jordan’s mind-boggling 63-point masterpiece in Game 2 of that first-round series still stands as the most points scored in a playoff game. Larry Bird’s Celtics went on to win the 1986 championships after dispatching the Houston Rockets in six games.
During the 1986-87 season, the Boston Celtics whipped Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls a mind-boggling seven straight times, including the playoffs. Bird called Jordan “God in sneakers” but that didn't stop him and his team from mauling the Bulls for the entirety of the said season.
The Denver Nuggets are letting LeBron James follow Michael Jordan’s footsteps
After Game 3’s 112-105 loss, LeBron James’ LA Lakers are down 0-3 in the series. Another win by the Nuggets two nights later would make it back-to-back sweeps by the defending champs. “King James” hasn’t had this kind of record in the NBA against any team.
Leading into the playoffs last year, the Lakers lost their final encounter with the Nuggets. They got the broom in the conference finals before getting shut out again in three regular-season games the following season. Worse, two of those matches were on the Lakers’ home court and they still couldn’t get past the Nuggets.
In the 2024 playoffs, LeBron James’ Lakers looked like they were about to break the trend. But, late in the game, it has been Nikola Jokic’s brilliance that has kept the Nuggets out of reach against the Lakers. Los Angeles is now 0-11 against Denver.
