10 greatest Cleveland Cavaliers playoff performances of this century
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a lot of memorable playoff runs since they drafted LeBron James in 2003. They have made the NBA Finals 5 times, and even won the Championship in the Iconic 2016 NBA Finals, where they overcame a 3-1 deficit versus the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Let's take a trip down memory lane and countdown the 10 best Cavs playoff games since 2000.
With only three games left in the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers approach their second consecutive playoff appearance since adding Donovan Mitchell to the team. With expectations high, it is impossible not to recollect past postseason runs from Cleveland that defined the team's place in the 21st century history of the league. Mitchell has already established himself as one of the most prolific Cavaliers of all time, but the postseason is where true legends are made.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a multitude of memorable playoff runs since they drafted LeBron James in 2003. They have made the NBA Finals five times and brought the first NBA Championship to Cleveland in the iconic 2016 NBA Finals. Their historic run where they overcame a 3-1 deficit versus the 73-9 Golden State Warriors sits among the greatest Finals runs in NBA history. Still, the Cavaliers have stunned the world countless times before.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and countdown the 10 best Cavs playoff games since 2000.
10. 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Three vs. Toronto Raptors
This exciting Game Three will always be remembered for two things: LeBron’s buzzer-beating floater off the glass, and the solidification of “LeBronto”. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers jumped out to a surprising 2-0 series lead over the top-seeded Raptors after taking the first two games in Toronto.
The Cavs jumped out to a 14-point lead after the third quarter, and everyone started to assume this series was over as the Cavaliers were one quarter away from a 3-0 series lead. Then, with their season in growing doubt, the Raptors got aggressive and desperate, fueling a 38-24 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 103 with seven seconds left.
And…..well, the rest is history.
LeBron drove down the full court, went to the left side, and banked in an off-balanced floater as time expired. The Cavs win 105-103.
Social Media was immediately flooded with jokes that LeBron owned Toronto, as the Cavs were on the brink of eliminating the Raptors from the playoffs three seasons in a row. Thus, the legendary term “LeBronto” was born. They would go on to sweep the Raptors in 2018, a bitter end to the Kyle Lowry-Demar DeRozan era, as DeRozan would be traded to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard the next season. LeBron James had 38 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in this game. Kevin Love, who was playing arguably his best basketball as a Cavalier this series, added 21 points and 16 rebounds.