LeBron James and the Boston Celtics: We meet again
LeBron James was still doughy-eyed and young when the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals. James had not grown that scruffy beard that has defined his look in adulthood. His hairline was still where it should be for the average 23-year-old basketball tank.
James had tasted his first bit of playoff success, single-handedly eliminating the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals the year before, lifting the Cavs into the NBA Finals. There, after the San Antonio Spurs swept the young Cavaliers, Tim Duncan told James the league was going to be his soon. Soon became now very quickly.
James was always going to be a part of the title picture. His teams would reach at least the Eastern Conference Finals in 10 of the next 12 seasons, including this year’s romp to the Eastern Conference Finals. James owned the world, or at least the Eastern Conference. The King was preparing to have his reign.
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It turned out that the young James had one more lesson to learn. The league’s greatest franchise, revitalized by the acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, was ready to teach it. James’ first battle with the Celtics was born. The stalwarts of the early 2000s were fbeating back James and his future. But it would be a battle.
James’ first playoff battles — his game-winning dunk against the Gilbert Arenas-led Washington Wizards and his incredible finish to the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals — were child’s play compared to his first series against the Celtics. The 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals was the beginning of James’ legend and his greatest rivalry.
At each stage of his career, James has had to face the Celtics in one form or another, battling the past to carve his own future. Like Michael Jordan and Isaiah Thomas and so many of the other great players in the league’s history, the Celtics were the franchise he had to vanquish to achieve his own place of immortality.
That first meeting in 2008 featured one of the most classic scoring duels in the league’s history. In Game 7, James scored 45 of his team’s 92 points to bring his undermanned Cavaliers team to the brink of the conference finals. Paul Pierce won the day with 41 points. The old guard won one more time.
They did it again in 2010, putting James in one of his most human moments. He walked off the floor at the TD Garden seemingly sullen, tearing off his Cavaliers jersey for the last time (in that stint) and setting off the most polarizing summer decision in league history, and a new discussion of free agency throughout the league.
When the Miami Heat and LeBron James finally overcame the Celtics in the second round of the 2011 playoffs, it was a euphoric moment. He, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hugged each other as if they had won the title right there. That title would ultimately elude them, but it finally felt like James had ascended to his throne.
He put the exclamation point on that in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals with a masterful Game 6 performance, perhaps the greatest scoring performance in James’ long career. Facing elimination on the road, James scored 45 points on 19-for-26 shooting. Game 7 seemed like a formality. James had officially buried the Celtics.
Except he did not. The NBA’s greatest franchise did not stay buried long. The Celtics made some moves to stay relevant after trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, sending out the old guard that stood in James’ way.
Boston revamped. In the first round in 2015, Kelly Olynyk touched the rivalry off again by causing the Kevin Love injury. Now the Celtics stand in James’ way once again in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Now Boston is the underdog, and James is the king.
It is a familiar story through NBA history. The young upstart team and star has to defeat the old guard to gain their place. James had to go through his paces, dethroning the teams of the past to get to the top. Unquestionably he is there now.
But that familiar green jersey is still chasing him. The league’s most storied franchise has derailed the careers of many players. Dominique Wilkins could never ovecome them. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West could only watch as the Celtics dominated their matchups. Wilt Chamberlain was flummoxed by Bill Russell. Michael Jordan never took down the Celtics in his storied career.
Greatness in this league has often been measured by a team’s ability to overcome this team in whatever form it comes. James has done that and now must do it again. Boston does not seem to be going away. They remain the biggest Eastern Conference threat to his supremacy. Even if they lose this year, their NBA Draft war chest implies that when James does begin to age (if that is even possible), it is likely the Celtics will be there fighting to take his place.
James is not ceding the throne willingly. He masterfully silenced the Celtics in Game 1 on Wednesday with 38 points, his fifth-straight game with at least 35 points this postseason. The Cavaliers are expecting to sweep their way into the Finals once again. It will be James’ seventh-straight NBA Finals appearance. The league has not seen dominance like this from one player in a long time.
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It may not be the time for retrospectives on James’ career. By all accounts, it still has several years left to go. But when James’ story is finally written, the Celtics will play the role of constant villain. His rivalry with the Golden State Warriors and his rivalry with the Celtics will come to define his career and his greatest moments.