"Don't lose Game 7 at home, LeBron."
NBA legends Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson might as well be shouting that in LeBron James' direction. Bird, Jordan, Bryant and Johnson combined to go 14-1 at home in Game 7s in their career.
James, who is playing in his first Game 7 at home Saturday night against the Boston Celtics, is in yet another must-deliver spot. He already has two Game 7 road losses on his career résumé. But he performed well in those gamesâ€"scoring 27 points in a 79-61 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the first round in 2006, and pouring in 45 points in a 97-92 loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.
James averages 36.0 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game in those series-deciding games. For comparison's sake, Jordan averaged 36.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 5.4 apg; Bird 26.7, 8.7 and 6.2; Johnson 18.4, 7.8, 14.0; and Bryant 22.0, 8.0 and 5.0.
Regardless of the statistics, all the cynics see is 0-2. Bird (6-3), Jordan (4-1), Bryant (5-1) and Johnson (3-2) combined to go 18-7 in series-deciding games. That includes a 15-5 record in Game 7s and that legend-affirming 14-1 mark at home (remember, early-round NBA playoff series used to be three- and five-games long). The lone Game 7 home loss came when Bird's Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Garden in 1982.
If James wants to stay in the conversation with those four legends and silence at least a few more doubters, a win at home on Saturday is mandatory.
A closer look at James' predecessors in series-deciding games:
Larry Bird (6-3)
1981 Eastern Conference finals vs. Philadelphia (W 91-90): Bird helps the Celtics erase a 3-1 series deficit with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
1982 Conference finals vs. Philadelphia (L 120-106): Bird scores 20 points on 7-for-18 shooting, but the Celtics fall short against Julius Erving and Co.
1984 NBA Finals vs. L.A Lakers (W 111-102): Bird totals 20 points and 12 rebounds to beat the Lakers in the first of three head-to-head Finals meetings.
1987 Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Milwaukee (W 119-113): Bird scores 31 points, including a 13-for-13 effort from the free-throw line.
1987 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit (W 117-114): Bird's legendary steal in Game 5 is this series' signature moment, and he closes the deal with 37 points, nine boards and nine assists in Game 7.
1988 Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Atlanta (W 118-116): Dominique Wilkins outscores Bird, 47-34, but the Celtics take the win in one of the most memorable playoff shootouts of all time.
**1990 Eastern Conference first round vs. New York (L 121-114): Bird and Patrick Ewing score 31 points apiece, but the Knicks pull away in the fourth quarter.
**1991 Eastern Conference first round vs. Indiana (W 124-121): Bird and Chuck Person score 32 points apiece in another playoff classic.
1992 Eastern Conference semifinals at Cleveland (L 122-104): Bird scores just 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting in his final playoff game.
Michael Jordan (4-1)
*1988 Eastern Conference first round vs. Cleveland (W 107-101): Jordan scores 39 in the finale and averages 44.2 points in the series.
Michael Jordan had strong performances in home Game 7s. Now, LeBron gets his own opportunity. (AP Photo)
*1989 Eastern Conference first round at Cleveland (W 101-100): Two words: Craig Ehlo. Get the mental picture? That buzzer beater is the most memorable of Jordan's 44 points.
1990 Eastern Conference Finals at Detroit (L 93-74): The "Jordan Rules" work for the last time. Jordan scores 31 points.
1992 Eastern Conference semifinals vs. New York (W 110-81): Jordan scores 42 points, nearly doubling up Ewing, who finishes with 22.
1998 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Indiana (W 88-83): Jordan finishes with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Kobe Bryant (4-1)
2000 Western Conference Finals vs. Portland (W 89-84): Bryant scores 25 with 11 rebounds, but the alley-oop to Shaquille O'Neal remains the signature play.
2002 Western Conference Finals at Sacramento (W 112-106): Bryant scores 30 points, O'Neal adds 35 and the Lakers close out a feisty Kings' team in overtime.
2006 Western Conference first round at Phoenix (L 121-90): The Lakers never challenge in this one. Bryant finishes with 24 points.
2009 Western Conference semifinals vs. Houston (W 89-70): The Lakers advance, but Bryant scores just 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
2010 NBA Finals vs. Boston (W 83-79): Bryant shoots just 6-of-24, but he still manages 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers past the Celtics.
2012 Western Conference first round vs. Denver (W 96-87): Bryant finishes with 17 points and eight assists to lead the Lakers to the second round.
Magic Johnson (3-2)
**1981 Western Conference first round vs. Houston (L 89-86): Johnson scores just 10 points on two field in Game 3. The NBA didn't go to five-game first-round series until 1984.
1984 NBA Finals at Boston (L 111-102): Johnson's 16 points and 15 assists doesn't offset seven turnovers in a loss to the Celtics.
1988 Western Conference semifinals vs. Utah (W 109-98): Johnson nearly pulls a triple-double with 23 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds.
1988 Western Conference Finals vs. Dallas (W 117-102): Johnson nearly records another triple-double with 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
1988 NBA Finals vs. Detroit (W 108-105): Johnson scores 19 points with 14 assists, many to James Worthy, who scores a game-high 36 points.
*Denotes five-game series
**Denotes three-game series
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