LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot at stake in this year's postseason -- can they repeat as champions? Will they be as inconsistent as they were down the final stretch? LeBron could potentially reach multiple milestones and continue his success in the first round, depending on how he and the Cavs fare in the playoffs.
What's at stake for LeBron?
This postseason, James can:
Become the all-time leading scorer in the playoffs
Reach a seventh straight NBA Finals
Win a fourth Finals MVP (only Michael Jordan -- with six such honors -- has won the award more than three times)
Reach .500 in terms of series wins and losses in the NBA Finals (In terms of historical standing, this would be a big deal. He’s currently 3-4 and could very easily be 1-6 if not for Ray Allen’s shot and last year’s comeback.)
James enters this year's playoffs fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He needs 416 points to pass Michael Jordan for first -- and has scored at least that many points in each of his last six postseasons.
James is seeking to become seventh player in NBA history to play in seven straight NBA Finals, and the first to do so outside of Celtics players during the Bill Russell era. James' Cavaliers teammate James Jones has made six consecutive NBA finals, but has only played in five straight.
LeBron's first-round dominance
James is 11-0 for his career in first-round playoff series. Under the current 16-team playoff format, the only players with more first round series wins without a loss are Robert Horry and Derek Fisher (both are 16-0).
LeBron is also a perfect 11-0 for his career in his team's first game of the postseason. If the Cavaliers open the playoffs with a win this year, James' 12 straight wins in his team's first game of the postseason would be tied with for the longest such streak all-time, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
James will have the most consecutive first-round wins since the playoffs went to a 16-team format if the Cavs sweep the Indiana Pacers, passing the Los Angeles Lakers of the mid-80's.
LeBron hasn't lost a single game in a first-round series since May 6, 2012 against the New York Knicks. The NBA world looked a but different then:
LeBron James had not yet won an NBA title
James Harden was still a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Phil Jackson was still two years away from being hired by the Knicks
Derrick Rose was just eight days into his first rehab from knee injury
Stephen Curry wasn’t yet an All-Star, averaged 14.7 points per game and was the Golden State Warriors third-leading scorer behind Monta Ellis and David Lee
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only five players have more consecutive wins in the first round than LeBron since the current NBA playoff format was introduced in 1984.
James is in select company once again when it comes to his first-round record. Over 300 players have played in at least 25 first-round games since the NBA went to its current playoff format in 1984, and the only player with a better record than LeBron is James Worthy, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
LeBron and the No. 2-seed Cavaliers host the No. 7-seed Pacers in Game 1 of the first round on Saturday afternoon.