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LeBron James dominated the East for 15 years, making eight straight tips to the NBA Finals.
It was only in 2018 that his move to the LA Lakers saw the East teams breathe a sigh of relief. However, in his over a dozen years of rampage, there were quite a few powerhouse franchises that earned his wrath since 2011. Safe to say, 12 of the 15 teams were at the receiving end of James' incredible run in the NBA.
Some of the teams James beat are yet to regroup to win the championship. The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls last won in 2008 and 1998 respectively, and the former's win in 2008 could be considered a one-off.
On that note, ahead of his 21st year in the league, here are a few teams LeBron James decimated when he was in the East.
Teams that broke up during LeBron James' dominance in the Eastern Conference
Here are five teams:
#5 The 2010-11 Chicago Bulls
The 2010-11 season looked promising for the Chicago Bulls. They were a strong defensive unit and were led brilliantly by Tom Thibodeau’s creative defensive strategies.
That locked up even the most prolific of scorers as they packed the paint and forced teams to take lower-efficiency shots. The likes of Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Luol Deng were easily locking down guards and dared them to try and shoot their way out to wins.
Add Derrick Rose to the mix, the Bulls were unstoppable as he bulldozed his way to his maiden MVP season averaging 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. The Bulls ended the regular season with a 62-20 record, while LeBron James and the Miami Heat finished second with 58-24.
While Chicago was clinical in the regular season, their playoff run was shortlived, as James brought the heat to the Bulls. Miami went down in the first game but bounced back to record four straight wins to knock Rose and the Bulls out in the conference finals.
That was the also last time the Bulls lived their golden days. Rose tore his ACL and missed 197 games over the next three seasons before heading to the New York Knicks.
#4 The 2011-12 Boston Celtics
In a test of LeBron James' legacy, the Miami Heat were up against the Boston Celtics who were splendid throughout the season. The Eastern Conference Finals was nothing short of drama when Paul Pierce made his intentions abundantly clear by draining a three-pointer in James' face.
After their disappointing Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat faced scrutiny that they would lose their second impressive run despite being one of the most loaded superteams in the East.
However, what followed then was a performance for the ages, as James delivered in game 6 with a scintillating 45-point performance coupled with 15 rebounds to even the series 3-3.
He played his part again in Game 7 to help Miami win their second title. That meant that the Ray Allen-Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce era of the Celtics was well and truly done.
#3 The 2013-14 Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers claimed the No. 1 seed in the East in 2013-14 with 56 wins in the regular season, owing much of the success to their defense. They made the conference finals, booking a date with the Miami Heat and LeBron James.
The season also marked the meteoric rise of Paul George, consistently recording 20 points per game. The Pacers, then manned by Frank Vogel were a defense-first team comprising Lance Stephenson, David West and Roy Hibbert.
Despite having the big names, they fell in six games to the Heat and made 100 points just once.
As for George, he had three more seasons with Indiana, but the team was a far cry from the clinical unit they were in 2013-14. And to date, the Pacers are yet to make a deeper run in the playoffs.
#2 The 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks had the best defensive-minded coach in Mike Budenholzer in the 2014-15 season, and they made their way to the top of the East.
The exclamation mark to their greatness was their whopping 19-game win streak with Jeff Teague, Kyle Korber and DeMarre Carroll forming the three-pronged weapon for the Hawks.
However, they ran into LeBron James who had returned for his second stint with his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had no answer to 'The King' who was hitting a new level in his prime as the Heat swept Atlanta in four games.
Game 3 was when he made his presence felt, notching up 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, making sure the Hawks had their wings clipped.
#1 The 2017-18 Boston Celtics
It was LeBron James v. the Boston Celtics again. That year may have seen Boston without the services of Kyrie Irving, but they made up for it by fielding a young unit that was second in the league in beyond the arc percentage and defending the zone.
Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were names that threatened to take the contest away from the Cavaliers. However, it was James who had the last laugh.
Despite forcing a Game 7, they were outdone without Irving in the mix, and James poured in 35 points to put the screws on Boston.
Now, the Celtics are without Smart, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics have made the a solid run in the playoffs since then, but only after LeBron James made his way to the City of Angels.
