10 Best Moments of LeBron James' 2018 Playoffs

It never gets too tough for the king of NBA. Just when everybody thought LeBron's reign was over, he fired back with an all-time great post-season averaging 34 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in 22 playoff games. To mention what came before that, LeBron also played in all 82 regular season games for the first time in his career averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists a game.

Without him playing all of the regular season, it's safe to say that the Cavs would never have reached the playoffs in the first place. Cavs Head Coach Tyronn Lue had to experiment with hundreds of lineups after the Cavs front office essentially traded their entire roster away. They had a brand new team barely 2 months before the playoffs and LeBron did what he always does. He responded.

Here are LeBron's top 10 moments from LeBron's epic 2018 playoffs campaign:

10. Game 4 vs. Golden State Warriors

There is a famous saying in sports. You got to know when it's over. The Golden State Warriors were on the verge of sweeping the Cavaliers and winning their third title in four years. So with 4 minutes remaining in the game and only 23 points under his belt, James decided to check out of the game.

He tagged all four of his on-court teammates and all of the five Warriors, even embracing his nemesis. With that, he ended another chapter of his epic career. That was the last time we saw LeBron in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. LeBron James showed the world yet again that he is as humble as he is fierce, that no amount of success and accolades can get to his head and he is people's superstar and the king of Cleveland.

9. Game 2 vs. Toronto Raptors

This was the day LeBron unofficially declared in front of Toronto fans that no matter what the Raptors did, they won't even come close to beating the King. As per usual, LeBron was having his typical night. He was driving, shooting, passing and succeeding in each category. In the second half, James went a little more legendary.

Late in the third quarter, LeBron made 2 fadeaway jumpers which were as good as 2 turnovers for an average player. That spark carried onto the final quarter where it was just raining shots for LeBron.

No matter who defended him, he took the shot, it looked bad in the air and in the end found the bottom of the net. He made half a dozen of these and ended the game with 43 points and 14 assists upsetting Toronto fans yet again. He easily could have played more and got 50. Cavs won the game by 18.

8. Game 1 vs. Golden State Warriors

Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals will always be remembered for two things. Number 1, J.R. Smith committing that horrendous turnover and LeBron giving possibly his best single-game performance so far in his career. LeBron also surpassed Jerry "The Logo" West for most 40 point games in a single post-season with his 9th 40 point game of the playoffs. He now leads the NBA in this category.

Analysts had already predicted the Cavaliers to get swept. It is known that LeBron doesn't fully exert himself in Game 1s but this time was different. He started hot right away, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. He followed it up with 12 more points in each of the next two quarters.

Even after all this, Warriors lead Cavs by 6 at the start of the final period. LeBron single-handedly brought them back from the dead late in the fourth and only for a few moments it looked like he was going to take the game away from GSW. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. All we were left with was an all-time great NBA Finals appearance in a lost game.

7. Game 7 vs. Indiana Pacers

Another game 7. Another legendary night for LeBron James. LeBron recorded 45 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals this game but that's not the best part. It's how he started the game.

Early on in the game, Ty Lou called time and wanted to give James some rest. LeBron told him "I'm playing the whole game." Much like game 2, LeBron started the game connecting on all of his shots, ending the quarter with 13 points. He scored 13 more in the second and imposed his will early on in the game.

Later in the third quarter, LeBron suffered a minor injury and had to go the locker room which took the air out of Quicken Loans Arena. LeBron came back a few minutes later and took Cleveland all the way. Long story short, Cleveland took the game and the series, yet again.

6. Game 7 vs. Boston Celtics

Everybody knows game 7 is LeBron's playground. If you're on the team playing against him in a game 7, it does not get worse. This day was no different. LeBron played all 48 minutes. He scored 12 of his team's 18 points in the first quarter when they were taking a beating offensively.

Unlike most games, LeBron did not conserve energy this night. He was jumping at the first sight of a loose ball, battling down low for a rebound. After the first quarter, Cleveland turned the game around in the next two quarters and finally put Boston away for good but it didn't come easy in the fourth.

Boston was always within striking distance and Bron put them away with an and-one layup at the 1-minute mark in the fourth period. Marcus Morris tried to hold him off but Bron wasn't stopping, not that night, not in game 7. On the road, facing elimination, LeBron James delivered.

5. Game 3 vs. Toronto Raptors

In the second round, LeBron's Cavaliers ran into their inevitable rivals from up north. LeBron has battled the Toronto Raptors in each of the last three playoffs. Each time, it ended with the Raptors going home.

But this year was special. First, the Raptors had the most successful regular season in franchise history. They won 59 games and were seeded first in the eastern conference. They were also a top 5 defense and offense. On paper, they could throw bodies on LeBron and halt him to some extent.

On the other hand, LeBron had his weakest supporting cast since 2007. If ever there was a chance for the Raptors to dethrone the king, it was this year. When it came down to actual basketball, it was a different story. Cavs had the 2-0 lead and were running away with game 3.

Somehow, Toronto came back from down 15 at halftime to tie the game 103-103 with 8 seconds remaining. LeBron responded by going coast to coast and made the game clinching bank shot. The city of Toronto will now always be known as LeBronto to basketball fans.

4. Game 6 vs. Celtics

Another one of those 40 point nights for LeBron but this one was a little more special than others. Cleveland had lost Kevin Love to a concussion late in game 5. LeBron was without his all-star side kick. Boston had the 3-2 lead on the Cavs coming into this game. Without Love, LeBron knew he had to will the Cavs past the Cs.

Boston took the lead in the first quarter. LeBron fired back with 17 points of his own and flipped the lead at halftime. Both teams traded buckets in the third and Cavs still lead by double digits.Then again, the Celtics didn't get this far on luck alone. They kept punching and cut the lead to 7 with 3 minutes remaining.

No Kevin Love and a chance to close out the series. At one point, it felt like it could be all over that night for LeBron. Well, it didn't. With 2:30 remaining in the game, LeBron dribbled the ball up the court and went into iso mode against Jayson Tatum, stared him in the eye and made a step-back fadeaway 3. Thirty seconds later, he made the exact play again and basically shut the door on the Boston Celtics, sending the series to game 7.

3. Game 5 vs. Indiana Pacers

This one comes down to one shot. But first let's back up a little. The series was tied 2-2 and back in Cleveland for game 5, the most important game of a seven-game series. Indiana led by 7 at halftime even after LeBron scoring 14 first quarter points.

LeBron wasn't having any of it. He came out and scored 15 in the third quarter. The 7 point deficit turned into an 8 point lead for the Cavs at the end of third. It was looking like it was over for Indiana but just then, Cavaliers went cold. Meanwhile, Pacers weren't playing great basketball either but they kept the scoreboard ticking and tied the game 95-95 in the final moments of the game.

It was so bad that the Cavs couldn't score a single point for the last 4 minutes and 35 seconds. And so with 3 seconds left in the game, Cavs called timeout for the last time which gave them the ball on the sideline. LeBron got the ball on the right wing, took 2 dribbles to his left, pulled up right on top of the key and drained a cold-blooded 3 pointer. Cavs won 98-95. Oh and LeBron ended the game with 44 points.

2. Game 4 vs. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics proved to be LeBron's biggest challenge coming out of the eastern conference. They blew Cleveland out the arena in the first two games of the series. Boston was also one of the best defensive teams in the NBA last season. Scoring at will wasn't going to be easy against the Cs.

So LeBron played a relatively calm game 3 finishing with 27 points and 12 assists. His teammates got going early and the Cavs took game 3 but the Celtics were not going to hand game 4 to the Cavs. Perhaps what makes LeBron's game 4 performance great how little he did and still ended the game with 44 points.

Cavs had a healthy double digit lead all game but the Celtics were able to cut it to 7 midway in the final period. Rather than going into the teeth of the Boston defense, James trusted his teammates in these crunch moments and executed the little things while also dropping bucket after bucket. There was no way he was heading to Boston down 3-1 in the Conference Finals.

1. Game 2 vs. Indiana Pacers

So the Cavs were handed an eighteen point loss in game 1 on their home turf which set the equation straight. The young Indiana Pacers were not to be taken lightly. LeBron still had a triple-double in game 1 but that was nowhere near enough. It was clear these Pacers were not going to go away easily.

What followed in game 2 was LeBron single handedly hammering the Pacers right from the start. He started the game scoring 13 straight points on 6 of 6 shooting. He scored 20 points in the first period alone, 29 in the first half and ended the game with 46 points on 71% shooting from the field.

For once, he looked like the mean mugging version of LeBron James from game 6, 2012 east semis against the Boston Celtics. Why was all of this important? Because the Pacers came very close to a 2-0 lead heading back to Indiana. Cavs won 100-97 even after LeBron dropping 46. It was those 13 straight points that helped the Cavs stay alive and tie the series.

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