King of the First (Round)

King of the First

April 26, 2017

by Chase Gage

 

LeBron James is the King of the NBA. He is also the King of the first round of the playoffs.

James just completed his fifth consecutive sweep in the first round, bringing his overall first-round record to an astonishing 48-7. He has never been eliminated in the first round since making his playoff debut in 2006. The King has now won 21-straight games in the first round, good enough for the best all-time mark. He also just completed his tenth overall sweep in the playoffs, which is also an NBA record.

This got me thinking: I wonder how much has changed in the world since the last time LeBron even lost a single game in the first round? Well, I have compiled a list.

Since LeBron Lost a Game in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs:

• World News:
  • Obama was elected to his second term
  • Kim Jong-un was appointed as Supreme Leader of North Korea
  • Trump was elected president
  • China launched its first moon rover mission
  • The Boston Bombing
  • The George Zimmerman and Jodi Arias Trials
  • Pope Francis was appointed
  • Edward Snowden and the NSA
  • Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted to using cocaine
  • Anthony Weiner, aka “Carlos Danger”, had his little incident
• Pop Culture:
  • Twerk and Selfie were added to the dictionary
  • The Harlem Shake and “What does the Fox Say” both happened, unfortunately
  • Candy Crush was created
  • That awful “Hump Day” commercial
  • Miley Cyrus was very mature at the MTV Video Music Awards
  • Flappy Bird got some people heated
  • Kim Kardashian got married 11 times (Not really, but you believed it for a second, didn’t you?)
• Sports News:
  • The Cubs won the world series
  • Ray Lewis won the Super Bowl in his last season
  • Manti Teo had a fake girlfriend
  • LeBron himself won three titles
  • Kobe scored 60 in his final game
  • The Warriors won 73 games and blew a 3-1 lead
  • Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl again
  • Tom Brady won two Super Bowls
  • Marshawn Lynch retired and came back
  • Derrick Rose got hurt (take your pick for which time)
  • “You da real MVP” speech
  • Big Papi dominated the World Series; “this is our f***ing city”
  • Johnny Football made his NFL debut
  • The Dallas Cowboys had a record above .500 (wow!)
  • Retirements:
    • Kobe Bryant
    • Peyton Manning
    • Michael Phelps
    • Charles Woodson
    • Calvin Johnson
    • Marshawn Lynch (for a year)
    • Kevin Garnett
    • Tim Duncan
    • Paul Pierce (will happen after the Clippers lose Game 6 in Utah)
    • Ray Lewis
    • Derek Jeter
    • David Ortiz
    • Mariano Rivera
    • David Beckham
    • Jason Kidd
    • Troy Polamalu
    • Steve Nash
    • Many, many more
• What might happen before he loses in the first round again?
  • WWIII?
  • The apocalypse?
  • Carmelo Anthony finally wins a ring?
  • Pigs fly?
  • Trump puts himself on Mt. Rushmore?
  • Rats go extinct in New York City?
  • Flint, Michigan still won’t have clean water
  • The Browns make the playoffs?
  • Kanye somehow manages to utter a sentence that doesn’t make him sound like a narcissistic moron?
  • Lil Yatchy makes music that is actually tolerable?
  • Roger Goodell does something beneficial for the game of football?
  • Kim Jong-un, Trump and Putin take a selfie together at Niagara Falls?
  • A DC movie gets positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes?
  • The Doge meme makes a comeback?
  • Apple makes a flip phone that requires the user to press the “7” button four times for an “s” while texting?
  • Adam Sandler makes a watchable movie?

Quite a list, huh? If that didn’t put this achievement into perspective enough for you, I will now present to you what the NBA looked like the last time that LeBron lost a game in the first round of the playoffs:

The NBA When LeBron last lost in the first round:

• The NBA season was cut short (66 games) due to lockout
• Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook were teammates
• Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were all Celtics
• Derrick Rose averaged 22 points a game
• Kobe Bryant averaged 28 points a game
• Steph Curry averaged 15 points a game
• The Warriors were 23-43
• The Knicks made the playoffs (36-30)
• The Lakers made the playoffs (41-25)
• Kyrie Irving won ROY
• The Cavs were 21-45
• LeBron James had yet to win a championship
• The Pelicans were still the Hornets and the Hornets were still the Bobcats
• The Nets were still in New Jersey
• The Chicago Bulls were the top overall seed in the playoffs

 

Blown away yet? You should be. Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks beat James and his Miami Heat on May 6, 2012, in New York by a score of 89-87. The Heat were up 3-0 in the series and went on to win Game 5 to move on to the next round. Since then, James has never looked back. Before I finish up, I will leave you with one more bit of information on Mr. King. Enjoy, and see you next time.

 

LeBron James in the First Round:

• 2006 (Cavaliers): 4-2 vs Wizards
• 2007 (Cavaliers): 4-0 vs Wizards
• 2008 (Cavaliers): 4-2 vs Wizards
• 2009 (Cavaliers): 4-0 vs Pistons
• 2010 (Cavaliers): 4-1 vs Bulls
• 2011 (Heat): 4-1 vs 76ers
• 2012 (Heat): 4-1 vs Knicks
• 2013 (Heat): 4-0 vs Bucks
• 2014 (Heat): 4-0 vs Bobcats
• 2015 (Cavaliers): 4-0 vs Celtics
• 2016 (Cavaliers): 4-0 vs Pistons
• 2017 (Cavaliers): 4-0 vs Pacers