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The consistency displayed by LeBron James even in his 15th season in the league is one of the reasons why a number of people are willing to already consider him the greatest of all time, though in terms of accomplishments he does need a few more milestones to get there.
Also read: 5 Achievements LeBron James was the Youngest to reach
What he doesn't need to demonstrate, however, is his ability to flat-out dominate basketball games - sometimes right from tipoff till the final whistle. This season, we've seen a number of vintage LeBron performances, but some stand out even among the average LeBron games that would be career games for 95% of the players in the league.
Here's a list of his top 10 performances this season, ranked:
#10 Against the Toronto Raptors, 21st March 2018
Stat line: 35 points, 7 rebounds, 17 assists, 0 TURNOVERS!
James was in ultimate coast mode even in this high-stakes game between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs. While he did score 35 points, those came in a relatively low 19 field goal attempts (LeBron got to the line 14 times that night, scoring 12 free throws).
The craziest part of his night is that in 39 minutes of game time, LeBron had 17 assists, but a grand total of 0 turnovers!
While LeBron is good at taking care of the ball, his turnover numbers are actually not great for an elite playmaker. But on this night, he took exemplary care of the ball and made sure that he either got fouled on his drives or converted those shot attempts.
#9 Against the Denver Nuggets, 7th March 2018
Stat line: 39 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists on 60% shooting from the field
The Nuggets had beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena only 4 days before this game on the second night of a back-to-back, and pretty handily at that. The Cavaliers were, at this point, fighting for the 3rd seed with the likes of the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards, and they needed a win from this game.
LeBron's monster night guided the Cavaliers to a 113-108 win, as The King scored the majority of the Cavs' points in clutch time mostly via drives to the rack, and gave the Nuggets precious little chance of making a comeback.
#8 Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 13th February 2018
Stat line: 37 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
This might have been the quietest tally that LeBron put up all season long - pure, no-fuss-no-muss basketball at its brilliant best. He converted 14 of his 23 field goal attempts, including 3 out of his 7 3-point attempts. Though his free throw shooting suffered, it was never really bad enough for the Cavs as they ran out comfortable victors against the Oklahoma City Thunder by a margin of 120-112.
Mostly, the result was due to the bolstering of the Cavs squad at the trade deadline, as the likes of Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance had premier starring roles in the match alongside LeBron. But it was LeBron's scoring that allowed them to create the separation that they were able to maintain from the 3rd quarter onwards.
#7 Against the Indiana Pacers, 26th January 2018
Stat line: 26 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block on 64.7% shooting
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in danger of getting swept in their season series against the Indiana Pacers, but LeBron stepped up in this game big time to guide the Cavs home in a crucial, morale-boosting win. The Cavs had floundered in the month of January, losing 7 of their 10 games in the new year - including a couple of blowout wins.
The key thing about LeBron's game here is that he quit trying to bail the Cavs out with his scoring alone and actually played some defense in this game. He was, therefore, able to get 4 steals and a block in this game, in addition to a +/- of +12 in a 115-108 win in which neither team held a double-digit lead for most of the game.
#6 Against the Brooklyn Nets, 27th February 2018
Stat line: 31 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists
The Cavaliers were adapting to life with their brand new crew post the All-Star break and lost a couple of close games in this process (one against the Wizards and another against the Spurs). They needed a morale-boosting win against a team with depth, and their win against the Brooklyn Nets provided exactly that.
LeBron went ballistic on the night, scoring 31 points on 25 shots and getting to the line 3 times to knock down 3 clutch free throws. The antics of D'Angelo Russell kept the Nets in the game for most of the 4th quarter, but a botched possession, in the end, gave LeBron and the Cavs total control of the proceedings for the rest of the way.
#5 Against the Charlotte Hornets, 28th March 2018
Stat line: 41 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists with a +/- of +21
LeBron James went into this game at the Spectrum Center with a chance to tie Michael Jordan's record of 866 consecutive games with double-digit points, and he got that bit sorted pretty quick. He produced a dominant display that Jordan was not present to witness, but would've heard about - scoring 41 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point territory and 9 of 11 free throws.
James' tally of 41 points came about in the middle of the 4th quarter, and he went to the bench the last time in the game to a standing ovation from even the Hornets fans at the game once the Cavs' victory became virtually certain.
It was a dunkfest of epic proportions on the night.
#4 Against the Philadelphia 76ers, 6th April 2018
Stat line: 44 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists on 29 shots
The only game on this list in which LeBron ended up on the losing side. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers matched up at the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Philly in what was virtually a contest to wrest the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference - which would basically pave the way for an easier route through the playoffs with Kyrie Irving out injured for the Boston Celtics the rest of this season.
Despite LeBron's best efforts, the Cavs found themselves down by 30 points in the first half. Though they did stage a comeback, Ben Simmons came up with his own triple-double, and a number of clutch buckets in order to win the game for the Sixers, who were sans Joel Embiid for this game due to an orbital fracture suffered by the 7'2" Cameroonian.
#3 Against the Washington Wizards, 5th April 2018
Stat line: 33 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists with a +/- of +13
In a game decided by the slightest of margins at the end, the enduring quality of LeBron James shone through as the Cavaliers emerged with a 119-115 win, although the game-winning play at the end of the game was made by rookie forward Cedi Osman who stole the ball off a pass from John Wall.
LeBron's 33 points came on highly efficient 12 of 20 shooting from the field, while he also converted 7 free throw attempts to push the Cavs over the line. Most of his impact came in the 4th quarter, as he scored 14 points in that period to lead the Cavs on a comeback win in a game they were trailing by as many as 17 points.
#2 Against the Milwaukee Bucks, 19th March 2018
Stat line: 40 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists on 55% shooting from the field
In one of the most masterful displays of his career, The King bossed the Greek Freak all the way through a 116-97 beatdown of the Milwaukee Bucks in late March, as the Cavs looked to secure homecourt and the Central division title with this win. LeBron was just unconscious in this game, and the way he ran the show, it felt like Men against Boys for the most part.
He knocked down 3 statement 3-pointers from the left wing, while the lackluster Bucks interior defense proved to be no match for his incessant driving on the night. This was the game in which Kevin Love returned, thus much of the match also required LeBron to get his fellow All-Star all the touches he needed to get back to form real quick.
#1 Against the Washington Wizards, 3rd November 2017
Stat line: 57 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists on 67.6% shooting from the field
In order to get the Cavs over a patchy run of form early on in the season, LeBron had to turn on the sort of gears that we generally only see from him come playoff time. He singlehandedly annihilated the Washington Wizards' interior defense with his relentless rim-running drives, and he made sure that most of them paid off handily for the Cavs in a much-needed 130-122 win.
This game turned out to be his second-highest points total in a single game with 57, and it also tied the Cavaliers' franchise record which is jointly held by Kyrie Irving. LeBron took 34 shots to achieve this total while converting 2 out of his 4 3-point attempts and 9 out of his 9 free throw attempts.
