Home Basketball LeBron James: Dominating ‘Do or Die’ Moments with 12 Consecutive Wins Over 15 Years

LeBron James: Dominating ‘Do or Die’ Moments with 12 Consecutive Wins Over 15 Years

Basketball — 04/17/2024

On Tuesday, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in their NBA Play-In Tournament match. After that victory, NBA analyst Nick Wright revealed that throughout the previous 15 years, James had won 12 straight “Do or Die” games.

LeBron James and the Lakers beat Pelicans in play-in, earn a playoff rematch with the Nuggets | AP News

I should clarify that the only games taken into consideration were Game 7s, Play-In Tournaments, and In-Season Tournament knockout games. If your team is trailing 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2 in a series, there won’t be a “Do or Die” game because neither team is in danger of losing.  

Regarding the Play-In Tournament, a match between the seventh and eighth seeds is seen as a crucial match for the seventh seed. Now that we have cleared things out, these are those 12 games. 

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1. 2012 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7: Miami Heat 101-88 Boston Celtics

2. 2013 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7: Miami Heat 99-76 Indiana Pacers

3. 2013 NBA Finals Game 7: Miami Heat 95-88 San Antonio Spurs 

4. 2016 NBA Finals Game 7: Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 Golden State Warriors

5. 2018 Eastern Conference First Round Game 7: Cleveland Cavaliers 105-101 Indiana Pacers

6. 2018 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7: Cleveland Cavaliers 87- 79 Boston Celtics

7. 2021 Play-In Tournament: Los Angeles Lakers 103-100 Golden State Warriors

8. 2023 Play-In Tournament: Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 Minnesota Timberwolves

9. 2023 In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals: Los Angeles Lakers 106-103 Phoenix Suns

10. 2023 In-Season Tournament Semifinals: Los Angeles Lakers 133-89 New Orleans Pelicans

11. 2023 In-Season Tournament Final: Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 Indiana Pacers

12. 2024 Play-In Tournament: Los Angeles Lakers 110-106 New Orleans Pelicans

In Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavaliers were defeated by the Celtics 97-92, marking LeBron’s final loss in a “Do or Die” match. James had 45 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals on the evening, thus the loss was undoubtedly not his fault.

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LeBron has led his teams to victories in those high-pressure circumstances time and time again, and it is truly astounding. Unfairly, he has developed a reputation for underperforming in pivotal situations. He consistently delivers for his teams, which is why he is regarded as one of the best players in NBA history.