LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place in career playoff scoring
LeBron James has become a fixture in the NBA Finals, never mind the playoffs. Fans got another reminder of how consistent, and effective, a presence he has been in the postseason Wednesday, when the Cavaliers star moved into second place in the league’s playoff scoring ranks.
James, who scored 39 points in a 125-103 rout of the Raptors in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series, passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762 points) on a three-point shot in the third quarter. He now has 5,777 playoff points, second only to — surprise, surprise — Michael Jordan (5,987), the legend to whom James is so often compared.
James is 210 points behind Jordan, meaning that he has a realistic shot at dethroning His Airness (in one playoff category, anyway) this spring. Through six postseason games, all Cleveland wins, James is averaging 33.2 points, meaning he would need to play seven more games at that pace to set a record. Of course, if James does not establish the mark this year, he’ll be all but a lock to do so in 2018.
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After missing the playoffs in his first two seasons, James has led his teams there in each of the past 12, and between the Heat and the Cavs, he has been to the Finals six years in a row. He reached second place in scoring in his 205th postseason game; Abdul-Jabbar played in 237 over 18 playoff appearances; Jordan played in 179 over 13 appearances.
James has had a bit of an advantage over those two, in that the NBA’s playoff format has allowed for more teams and/or games in his era than in those of Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar. Jordan is far and away the leader in playoff scoring average (minimum 25 games played), at 33.5, with Allen Iverson second at 29.7 and James fifth at 28.1 (Abdul-Jabbar is 21st at 24.3).
LeBron has more career postseason points than Kareem, more assists than Jason Kidd, more boards than Olajuwon, and more steals than Stockton
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 4, 2017“I’m just blessed, and I have taken advantage of the opportunity I have been given,” James said after Wednesday’s game. ” … I didn’t take [my talents] for granted, and I still don’t, even at 32.
“I been in this league for 14 years, and I don’t take the opportunity for granted. I’ve had some great teammates along my 14-year career, I’ve been in the postseason for 12 straight years, so those guys and the coaches that I’ve had put me in positions to be successful, and it’s just up to me to go out and do it.
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“When you hear a name like Kareem, a guy who has done so many great things, not only as an individual but as a teammate, winning championships in the eighties and how many points he put up. … I didn’t get an opportunity to actually watch him play, growing up, but I read about his accomplishments, so it is pretty cool.”
LeBron James Last 9 Playoff Games
Team W-L 9-0
PPG 34.9
FG pct 54.3
RPG 10.0
APG 8.1
“It proves that you’re a winner,” Cavs Coach Tyronn Lue said of James’s milestone before Game 2 (via USA Today). “Proves that you’re always in the playoffs and you’re always giving your team a chance or an opportunity to win. The more points you have in the playoffs, the further you’ve been and the more times you’ve been to the playoffs, so it’s a great achievement.”
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