Top 5 players LeBron James has eliminated in the NBA Playoffs

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:35 GMT

LeBron James has beaten some of the top stars in the NBA en route to his four NBA championships.

#3 Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce was recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The former Boston Celtics talisman has had some great battles against LeBron James. Pierce has the most wins in NBA history for any player against LeBron. The tally stands at 47 games, including the regular season and the playoffs.

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The head-to-head record is in favor of LeBron James by a four-game margin. James was dominated by Pierce's Boston Celtics teams between 2007 and 2010. Pierce was on the winning team in both their playoff series' during that stretch.

But LeBron James was on the better team during their next three playoff series. The four-time MVP played for the Miami Heat at the time and claimed wins in all three series against Paul Pierce's teams. Pierce played for the Celtics twice and Brooklyn Nets once during that period.

#2 Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett in action during an NBA game.

Kevin Garnett was on the same teams as Paul Pierce when he faced off against LeBron James in the NBA playoffs. Overall, Garnett has the fifth-most wins (42) by any player in NBA history against James, comprising regular-season and playoff games.

Garnett has always been very straightforward in his opinions on the battles he has had with LeBron James. He has gone on to say the Celtics' teams he played on never feared James at all. Despite that, James still holds a head-to-head advantage against Garnett in the playoffs, with 17 wins in 30 games.

#1 Tim Duncan

Miami Heat v San Antonio Spurs - Game Four

Tim Duncan and LeBron James faced off in three NBA Finals series. James' debut finals appearance in 2007 was also against the former San Antonio Spurs' talisman.

Duncan was a three-time NBA finals MVP when he faced James. He was one of the most experienced and decorated players LeBron played against on the biggest stage of all. James has been on the losing side on two occasions against Duncan in the NBA Finals.

The only time LeBron James got the win was during the 2013 NBA Finals, when the Heat claimed the series win in seven games.

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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Edited by Parimal