Until Monday, LeBron James' team had never gone 2-0 and lost in the first round of the NBA postseason. But that was the position James found himself in after the Lakers lost to the Nuggets.
There is a plausible explanation for James' current predicament.
Since “The King” first reached the postseason in 2005-06, his teams have been the top seed in the first round every year except for his last three appearances.
While Father Time caught up with James, his team was battling in the bottom half of the standings, leaving him to face stronger opponents early in the playoffs.
In 2021, for example, his seventh-seeded Lakers faced the second-seeded Suns. However, they avoided a 2-0 loss and were eliminated in the series in six games. Then, in 2023, the seventh-seeded Lakers faced the Grizzlies in the first round, pulling off an upset against an inexperienced team. But in 2024, James will face the defending champion Nuggets, who won 57 games. And surprisingly, James' first-round winning streak came to an end, even though his team took a 20-point lead.
Overall, James' teams are 2-0 in nine playoff games and 3-5 in the last eight (all after the second round).
Of the three times James' team has come back from a 2-0 deficit, the most memorable was in the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Cavs fought back from a 3-1 deficit to overwhelm the Warriors. In the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, the Cavs won four straight and advanced to the NBA Finals.
Can James' team successfully recover from a 2-0 deficit for the fourth time? Will they play against the Denver Nuggets? A big chance.