5 teams that folded as LeBron James dominated the East

LeBron James has dominated the Eastern Conference for 15 years, reaching the NBA Finals eight times in a row.

It wasn’t until 2018 that his move to the Los Angeles Lakers made the Eastern Conference team breathe a sigh of relief. However, in his more than ten years of rampage, since 2011, quite a few strong teams have been punished by anger. It’s safe to say that 12 of these 15 teams were victims of James’ incredible performance in the NBA.

Some of the teams James beat have yet to regroup to win a championship. The Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls last won in 2008 and 1998 respectively, and the former’s victory in 2008 can be said to be a one-off.

On that note, here are a few of the teams LeBron James has decided on while he’s in the East, before he enters his 21st year in the league.

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Teams that disbanded during LeBron James’ Eastern Conference reign

Here are five teams:

#5 2010-11 Chicago Bulls

The future looks bright for the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11. They are a strong defensive team and perform well, led by Tom Thibodeau’s creative defensive strategies.

This locks out even the most prolific scorers as they crowd the paint and force teams to take inefficient shots. The likes of Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng easily locked down defenders and encouraged them to try and score the winning goal.

Add in Derrick Rose, and the Bulls were unstoppable, as he averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game to win his first MVP season. The Bulls finished the regular season with a 62-20 record, while LeBron James and the Miami Heat finished in second place with a 58-24 record.

While the Bulls were mediocre in the regular season, their playoff run was short-lived as James brought the heat to the Bulls. Miami suffered a loss in its opening game but bounced back to win four straight and knock off Rose and the Bulls in the conference finals.

That was also the last time the Bulls enjoyed their golden years. Rose missed 197 games over the next three seasons with a torn ACL before joining the New York Knicks.

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#4 2011-12 Boston Celtics

In a test of LeBron James’ legacy, the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics, who have been outstanding all season. The Eastern Conference Finals were nothing short of drama, with Paul Pierce making his intentions clear with a 3-pointer right in James’ face.

After a disappointing performance in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat faced criticism that they would lose a second impressive streak despite being one of the most loaded super teams in the East.

However, the performance that followed was immortal, as James scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 6 to tie the series at 3-3.

He was instrumental again in Game 7, helping Miami win its second championship. This means that the Ray Allen-Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce era of the Celtics is truly over.

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#3 2013-14 Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers finished first in the Eastern Conference in 2013-14 with 56 regular-season wins, thanks in large part to their defense. They made it to the conference finals and had a date with the Miami Heat and LeBron James.

This season also marked the meteoric rise of Paul George, who averaged 20 points per game. The Pacers, then coached by Frank Vogel, were a defense-first team that featured Lance Stephenson, David West and Roy Hibbert.

Despite having big names, they lost to the Heat in six games and only scored 100 points once.

As for George, he spent three more seasons with Indiana, but the team was nowhere near the clinical state of 2013-14. So far, the Pacers haven’t made it far in the playoffs.

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#2 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks had the best defensive coach in 2014-15 in Mike Budenholzer as they climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference.

What’s great about them is that they’re on an astounding 19-game winning streak, with Jeff Teague, Kyle Kerber and DeMarre Carroll forming the Eagles’ three-pronged weapon.

However, they encountered LeBron James, who was returning to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the second time. They had no answer for “The King,” who reached new levels in his prime and the Heat swept Atlanta in four games.

He was outstanding in the third game, scoring 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, ensuring that the Hawks’ wings were cut off.

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#1 2017-18 Boston Celtics

This is LeBron James v. Again against the Boston Celtics. Boston may have been without Kyrie Irving that year, but they made up for it by fielding a young team that ranked second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage and defensive zone.

Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are all names that could take away the Cavaliers’ competitive edge. However, it was James who had the last laugh.

Despite forcing a seventh game, they were not to be outdone in Irving’s absence, with James scoring 35 points and crushing Boston.

Now, the Celtics have lost Smart, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Since then, the Celtics have made a solid run in the playoffs, but only after LeBron James entered the City of Angels.