How come LeBron never lost in the 1st round

[NauruDude]

Losses in the 1st round:
MJ lost 3 times
Kareem lost 3 times
Bill Russell never:rockon:
Magic Johnson lost twice
Wilt Chamberlain lost twice
Shaquille O'Neal lost three times
Tim Duncan lost twice
Larry Bird lost twice
LeBron James never:rockon:
Hakeem Olajuwon lost 8 times (:eek: )

Just for the sake of it:
Kobe Bryant lost 2 times

Conclusion
As you can see, not losing in the 1st round is one of the hardest achievements one can possibly obtain.

Only two members of the consensus GOAT 11 managed to do it - Russel and LeBron.

As we can see, those two just do not care about the quality of their teammates. They simply try their hardest from the 1st game of the 1st round to the very end, trying to achieve as much as possible with their limited options.

That is very different from the others, who quit in the moment they knew they were not going to win anything.

Examples:
MJ in '86 knew he could not defeat the Celtics, so he famously quit in Game 3, scoring just 19 points and fouling out of the game on purpose.
Kobe's famous quit in '06. Nothing else needs to be said there.

Important questions:
Should the losing in the 1st round be used against the ranking cases of those that lost?
Is the losing in the 1st round on par with not losing in the Finals?
What would've come of some of those series and subsequently of the whole playoffs , if the quitters tried their hardest?

[MMM]

can't remember him losing often in the 2nd round either
maybe only twice or 3 times

pretty impressive that he is usually in the ECF or finals

[RagaZ]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.

[Trollsmasher]

1st round losses should be subtracted from the total ring count

MJ - 3 rings
Kobe - 3 rings
LeBron - 2 rings

[Mr. Jabbar]

lebron plays in the weakest conference ever, and ive brought proof: dwight got to the finals there :oldlol:

[russwest0]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.

holy shit, the east is easy as ****

[ThePhantomCreep]

LeBron missed the playoffs twice :facepalm .

[deja vu]

What's so special about the first round?

Do they give an award for winning the first round?

[buddha]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.

this lol, I'm positive LeChoke would have multiple first round exits if the cavs were in the western conference.

the 9th seed in the west would literally be the 3rd seed in the east

[eriX]

What's so special about the first round?

Do they give an award for winning the first round?

the question was why is losing in the first round not as important as losing in the finals. That if you got to the finals and then lost compared to losing in the first round, which is holds more importance.

[ThePhantomCreep]

this lol, I'm positive LeChoke would have multiple first round exits if the cavs were in the western conference.

the 9th seed in the west would literally be the 3rd seed in the east

Or worse. The 2008 Cavaliers would have finished 10th in the Western Conference that year. They were a 4th seed in the Least.

No wonder he colluded with his super buddies in Miami.

[ThePhantomCreep]

the question was why is losing in the first round not as important as losing in the finals. That if you got to the finals and then lost compared to losing in the first round, which is holds more importance.

Losing in the first round only matters if your team is expected to do better and they flame out. Context is everything. Trying to hold the Bulls' first round loss in 1986 against Jordan is idiotic. Those 1986 Celtics would skull rape the current NBA champions, what chance did Jordan have with his mediocre roster?

[Warfan]

LeBron missed the playoffs twice :facepalm .

As a 19 and 20 year old...

[MellowYellow]

He missed the playoffs twice, which is basically worse.

[MastaKilla]

Check the number of 50 win teams hes faced in the playoffs and you will find your answer

[Real14]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.
http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/michael-jordan-lol.gif

[ScarSymmetry]

East is weak.

[Angel Face]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.

:oldlol:

[AintNoSunshine]

Because Lebron single-handedly can beat any first rounder, even you surround him with garbage supporting cast. Give him a real team, he wins you championships

[sportjames23]

Losses in the 1st round:
MJ lost 3 times
Kareem lost 3 times
Bill Russell never:rockon:
Magic Johnson lost twice
Wilt Chamberlain lost twice
Shaquille O'Neal lost three times
Tim Duncan lost twice
Larry Bird lost twice
LeBron James never:rockon:
Hakeem Olajuwon lost 8 times (:eek: )

Just for the sake of it:
Kobe Bryant lost 2 times

Conclusion
As you can see, not losing in the 1st round is one of the hardest achievements one can possibly obtain.

Only two members of the consensus GOAT 11 managed to do it - Russel and LeBron.

As we can see, those two just do not care about the quality of their teammates. They simply try their hardest from the 1st game of the 1st round to the very end, trying to achieve as much as possible with their limited options.

That is very different from the others, who quit in the moment they knew they were not going to win anything.

Examples:
MJ in '86 knew he could not defeat the Celtics, so he famously quit in Game 3, scoring just 19 points and fouling out of the game on purpose.
Kobe's famous quit in '06. Nothing else needs to be said there.

Important questions:
Should the losing in the 1st round be used against the ranking cases of those that lost?
Is the losing in the 1st round on par with not losing in the Finals?
What would've come of some of those series and subsequently of the whole playoffs , if the quitters tried their hardest?


How come Lebron didn't make the playoffs for the first two years of his career while MJ made the playoffs every year with the Bulls?

[Theoo]

http://slumz.boxden.com/f16/how-come-lebron-has-yet-to-lose-in-the-1st-round-1943774/ nauruprude :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

[hahaitme]

He missed the playoffs twice, which is basically worse.
This is basically the point I believe OP was baiting for.

Just think for a second, if not making the playoffs is worse than a 1st rnd loss, then isn't not making the finals worse than a finals loss?
Logically the answer is yes, but the general consensus on ISH is that Jordan is god because he never lost in the finals. When you bring up his early exits, you usually dont get any response.

I'm not saying Lebron is better than MJ, not at all, but you can't use "stats" like these against one player while at the same time using the same stats to praise another. Its a contradiction

[livingby3's]

This is basically the point I believe OP was baiting for.

Just think for a second, if not making the playoffs is worse than a 1st rnd loss, then isn't not making the finals worse than a finals loss?
Logically the answer is yes, but the general consensus on ISH is that Jordan is god because he never lost in the finals. When you bring up his early exits, you usually dont get any response.

I'm not saying Lebron is better than MJ, not at all, but you can't use "stats" like these against one player while at the same time using the same stats to praise another. Its a contradiction

Whatever fits their agenda

[DMAVS41]

Again, nobody cares what goes on in the D-League when you have a stacked roster.

Props to Lebron for getting it done in the finals the last 2 years, but getting there is just a formality when the Heat would essentially be the only team in the East to even make the playoffs in the West.

It's not only a huge advantage in the playoffs, but it's huge in the regular season as well. Can coast to 55 wins in that joke conference.

So while the Thunder/Spurs have their hands full...the Heat will likely go 8-1 in the first 2 rounds...and won't even have to play well to do so.

Hopefully a team steps up though...but yea...nobody should or does care about what goes on against the Washington Generals...

Now, Lebron faced real competition in 11 in the East...have to give him credit for that, but he also couldn't beat 3 quality teams in a row either.

[Calabis]

Not sure nor do I care...but was LeBron ever down 3-2 in any of those series? If so he would have been out back in the day. 5 game series

[Calabis]

This is basically the point I believe OP was baiting for.

Just think for a second, if not making the playoffs is worse than a 1st rnd loss, then isn't not making the finals worse than a finals loss?
Logically the answer is yes, but the general consensus on ISH is that Jordan is god because he never lost in the finals. When you bring up his early exits, you usually dont get any response.

I'm not saying Lebron is better than MJ, not at all, but you can't use "stats" like these against one player while at the same time using the same stats to praise another. Its a contradiction

Because most people have common sense, realize the help he had was worse than anything Lebron played with. Also he lost to arguably the best team of all time.

[edrick]

Again, nobody cares what goes on in the D-League when you have a stacked roster.

Props to Lebron for getting it done in the finals the last 2 years, but getting there is just a formality when the Heat would essentially be the only team in the East to even make the playoffs in the West.

It's not only a huge advantage in the playoffs, but it's huge in the regular season as well. Can coast to 55 wins in that joke conference.

So while the Thunder/Spurs have their hands full...the Heat will likely go 8-1 in the first 2 rounds...and won't even have to play well to do so.

Hopefully a team steps up though...but yea...nobody should or does care about what goes on against the Washington Generals...

Now, Lebron faced real competition in 11 in the East...have to give him credit for that, but he also couldn't beat 3 quality teams in a row either.

Getting so sick of this argument. 4-0, 4-2, 4-0. Real tough competition there for the Spurs.

[DMAVS41]

Getting so sick of this argument. 4-0, 4-2, 4-0. Real tough competition there for the Spurs.


The Spurs got lucky last year as well! LOL...WB got hurt and they faced a Warriors team not ready and then they beat down a quality Grizzlies team.

Even with that...they still faced a harder road to the finals than the Heat did last year.

But the Spurs had an easy road as well...that doesn't change the fact that the Heat did...

Sick of the argument? It's the truth...

[ArbitraryWater]

can't remember him losing often in the 2nd round either
maybe only twice or 3 times

pretty impressive that he is usually in the ECF or finals

LeBron James:
Missed the Playoffs 2x as 9th Seed.
Never lost in the 1st Round
3x lost in the 2nd Round
Every other Year Conference Finals/Finals.

And that with a bad Cleveland Cavalier Team for 7 Years of his Career.

2006: 21 Year Old putting up 31/8/6 on 47% with multiple 40+ Point Games, Triple Doubles and Game Winners...

2008: Bad 2nd Round. None the less, heavy Underdog going up against the 2008 Champions, put up 45 Points in a close Game 7 loss.
2010: 29/9/8 on 50% with great Defense. Again, multiple 40+ Point Games, 3 straight 37+ Point Games, 4 35+ Point Games in 5 Games, more Triple Doubles. Had one bad Game in Game 5 against the Celtics, scoring just 15 Points on 3-14, which meant a blowout loss for his Team. LeBron couldn't allow himself to have any stinkers. That Team wasn't made for bailouts.

[ArbitraryWater]

How come Lebron didn't make the playoffs for the first two years of his career while MJ made the playoffs every year with the Bulls?

Because Jordan could make the Playoffs from 1985-1987 with abysmal Records.

A 38-44 46% Team, a 30-52 37% Team, and a 40-42 49% Team.

That stuff would be unthought of today.

1985&1987 8th Seed, 1986 7th Seed.

Got 3 1st Round Exists out of it. 1-9 Record. 1-3 vs Bucks, 0-3 vs Celtics, 0-3 vs Celtics.

[FLDFSU]

This is basically the point I believe OP was baiting for.

Just think for a second, if not making the playoffs is worse than a 1st rnd loss, then isn't not making the finals worse than a finals loss?
Logically the answer is yes, but the general consensus on ISH is that Jordan is god because he never lost in the finals. When you bring up his early exits, you usually dont get any response.

I'm not saying Lebron is better than MJ, not at all, but you can't use "stats" like these against one player while at the same time using the same stats to praise another. Its a contradiction


Kobetards are too moronic to see when they are clearly being set up.

[TheMan]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.
This

Not exactly Muderer's Row :roll:

[Keno]

lol at lebron missing the playoffs twice is worse. he missed the playoffs in his rookie and sophomore year. meanwhile, kobe, melo and maybe durant this year will/have missed the playoffs in their prime. which is far worse.

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron missed the playoffs twice :facepalm .

Didn't Kobe miss the playoffs in his prime? :oldlol:

[(e)]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.
This. Hard to lose when you don't play anyone in the first round. Might be a different story if he were in the West and had to go up against a Mavs or Grizz in the first round.

[ThePhantomCreep]

Didn't Kobe miss the playoffs in his prime? :oldlol:
Oh, so we're applying context now?

Didn't LeBron crash out three straight years when his team had HCA?

[Bandito]

Again, nobody cares what goes on in the D-League when you have a stacked roster.

Props to Lebron for getting it done in the finals the last 2 years, but getting there is just a formality when the Heat would essentially be the only team in the East to even make the playoffs in the West.

It's not only a huge advantage in the playoffs, but it's huge in the regular season as well. Can coast to 55 wins in that joke conference.

So while the Thunder/Spurs have their hands full...the Heat will likely go 8-1 in the first 2 rounds...and won't even have to play well to do so.

Hopefully a team steps up though...but yea...nobody should or does care about what goes on against the Washington Generals...

Now, Lebron faced real competition in 11 in the East...have to give him credit for that, but he also couldn't beat 3 quality teams in a row either.
For a secomd there I was like silk made this post:wtf: but then I noticed the name:applause:

[ThePhantomCreep]

LeBron James:
Missed the Playoffs 2x as 9th Seed.
Never lost in the 1st Round
3x lost in the 2nd Round
Every other Year Conference Finals/Finals.

And that with a bad Cleveland Cavalier Team for 7 Years of his Career.

2006: 21 Year Old putting up 31/8/6 on 47% with multiple 40+ Point Games, Triple Doubles and Game Winners...

2008: Bad 2nd Round. None the less, heavy Underdog going up against the 2008 Champions, put up 45 Points in a close Game 7 loss.
2010: 29/9/8 on 50% with great Defense. Again, multiple 40+ Point Games, 3 straight 37+ Point Games, 4 35+ Point Games in 5 Games, more Triple Doubles. Had one bad Game in Game 5 against the Celtics, scoring just 15 Points on 3-14, which meant a blowout loss for his Team. LeBron couldn't allow himself to have any stinkers. That Team wasn't made for bailouts.


LeBron's Cavs beat exactly ONE 50-win team during his time there.

One. Kobe's Lakers beat three just in 2008.

The East was just an epically bad conference in the 2000's, and still is.

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron's Cavs beat exactly ONE 50-win team during his time there.

One. Kobe's Lakers beat three just in 2008.

The East was just an epically bad conference in the 2000's, and still is.

So would the Cavs do better if you replaced LeBron with Kobe?

[PsychoBe]

So would the Cavs do better if you replaced LeBron with Kobe?

doesn't work that way. the roster was built around bran, not kobe.

[SilkkTheShocker]

doesn't work that way. the roster was built around bran, not kobe.

So in order to be built around Kobe the Cavs would have needed a the most stacked frontcourt in the league, right?

[The JKidd Kid]

Cause he's better than Kobe.

[ArbitraryWater]

doesn't work that way. the roster was built around bran, not kobe.

Not that again :lol Now shifting towards the "built around" thing. We need to give Kobe centers then its built around for him!!!!!! :facepalm

Right, because LeBron couldnt play with how they built it for Kobe?

Dont believe the lies by Heaviencent, ImKobe, Mark Mad son, saying bs like it wouldnt space the floor as much, which is what lebron needs.......

[DonDadda59]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.

Weak era for first rounds :lebronamazed:

[ThePhantomCreep]

So in order to be built around Kobe the Cavs would have needed a the most stacked frontcourt in the league, right?

Gasol, Odom and a one-legged Bynum (didn't even play in 2008) isn't a stacked frontcourt.

Considering the Lakers almost beat a 54-win a Suns teams (more wins than any team LeBron beat as a Cav) I'd say Kobe would do alright out East. How hard is it to feast on the Gilbert Arenas Wizards every year?

Nice deflecting though. Want to get back to the topic Bran's overrated accomplishments in the EC?

[ArbitraryWater]

Weak era for first rounds :lebronamazed:

Better than Jordan's 30 win Teams http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/images/smilies/lebron.jpg

[T_L_P]

Duncan didn't lose in the first round until his 11th season, I think. And this was whilst facing much fiercer competition.

[DonDadda59]

Better than Jordan's 30 win Teams http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/images/smilies/lebron.jpg

But not better than Larry Legends' Celtics that MJ dropped 63 on and averaged 44/6/6 against :applause:

[Young X]

Because he played in the east his whole career, it's hard to lose when you're facing 37-42 win teams every year.

[sd3035]

Lolcats
Bucks
Injured Knicks team
76ers
Del Negro coached Bulls team
Old Pistons team
3x Wizards(Wizards had Arenas injured in one of those series iirc)

That's why.


:roll: :roll: :roll:

[canary]

Duncan didn't lose in the first round until his 11th season, I think. And this was whilst facing much fiercer competition.

Duncan...such a consistent player :cheers:

[Roundball_Rock]

LeBron came out of high school on a 17 win team pre-LeBron so that explains his first two seasons.

The argument of weak competition in the first round is true but no knock against LeBron. LeBron's teams usually are a top 2 seed so inevitably he faces weak teams in the first round. He should be credited for ensuring his teams, even when he was playing with scrubs in Cleveland, manage high seeds. It isn't as if his teams were #8 seeds several years in a row.