LeBron vs Boston: The Rivalry

Seven series against one franchise sounds like one rivalry. It was closer to three.

Boston is the opponent LeBron James has faced most in playoff history: seven series, 41 games, and a 25-16 record across those games. Five of the seven series he won, two he lost.

The order matters, because the two losses came first. In 2008 and again in 2010 he was in Cleveland, and Boston ended the season in the Eastern Conference semifinals, 3-4 and then 2-4. The five that followed went the other way. Miami beat Boston 4-1 in the 2011 East semifinals and 4-3 in the 2012 East finals. Back in Cleveland, he swept a rebuilding Celtics team 4-0 in the 2015 first round, won the 2017 East finals 4-1, and won the 2018 East finals 4-3.

Here is the part that reframes that list. He was not playing one team seven times. He played three distinct eras of a single franchise's roster: the Pierce, Garnett and Allen team, the rebuild, and the Tatum and Brown team. This rivalry is a record of how much of a roster can turn over while a matchup keeps its name.

One milestone sits inside the run. In the clinching Game 5 of the 2017 series, he passed Michael Jordan for the most points in playoff history. That record was set against the opponent he has faced most in playoff history.