If you’re going up against a LeBron James team when he is healthy over the last two years and you find yourself down after the third quarter, your chances of winning are historically slim. After last night’s victory by the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the 2020 NBA Finals, putting L.A. up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Lakers are an incredible 56-0 when leading after three quarters. Fox Sports 1’s Nick Wright also provided some context that LeBron shutting teams down when leading after the third quarter was also a theme the last time he went to the NBA Finals, in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That means his record after the third quarter with his last two playoff teams is an astonishing 106-1.
The Lakers are now 56-0 when leading after 3 quarters, the best in NBA history.
The 2018 Cavs were the 4th best team in NBA history when leading after 3, at 50-1.
Which means in LeBron’s last 2 full seasons his teams are an impossible 106-1 when leading after the 3rd quarter.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) October 7, 2020
All the while, LeBron has been the leader and best player through both of those runs. While Anthony Davis had his own historic start to the 2020 Finals, he has tailed off offensively over the last two games while LeBron has still been the freight train powering the Lakers to being only one win away from an NBA Championship in the longest, trickiest, and most unprecedented season in NBA history.