Ranking the 10 best playoff series of LeBron James’ career

5. 2012: Eastern Conference Finals vs. Boston Celtics (won series 4-3)

Series Averages: 33.6 points,11 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 44.7 FG%, 43:20 minutes

After the Celtics got the best of LeBron in Cleveland, knocking the Cavs out of the playoffs in 2008 and 2010, he turned the tables when he put on a Heat jersey. He’d been 0-2 against the Celtics in the playoffs as a Cav but was 2-0 as a member of the Heat.

The most meaningful of those playoff series wins came in 2012 when the Heat took down Boston in seven games on the way to James’ first career title and the team’s first since 2006. The 2012 series against Boston might have been the most significant non-Finals playoff series of LeBron’s career. If it was, he definitely played accordingly, scoring over 30 in every game with the exception of a 29-point Game 4 loss in Boston.

After going down three games to two, LeBron responded with the best game he’d ever played at the Garden in Game 6 then finished the Celtics with 31 points and 12 rebounds in Game 7.

Best single-game performance: Game 6 (Heat 98 – Celtics 79)

As mentioned above, the Heat came into Game 6 down a game, on the brink of elimination. After losing to Boston in eight of the nine previous playoff games he’d played at TD Garden, James buried the Celtics and put Boston in his rear view with a 45-point game that carried the Heat to a W. He led all scorers in each of the first three quarters until the game was out of reach in the fourth and was also the game’s leading rebounder, pulling down 15 boards.