NBA Playoffs: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs

NBA: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs: 4. LeBron James (2017)

Two years later, after winning a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, LeBron James was back again to defend his championship. He had made six straight NBA Finals and was showing no signs of slowing down. In this title defense James would average 32.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game on shooting splits of.565/.411/.698. He was an efficient nightmare for teams to handle.

The first round against the Indiana Pacers was one of the closest four-game sweeps possible, with the Cavs outscoring the Pacers by a total of 16 points. James was tremendous, averaging 32.8 points, 9.8 rebounds. 9.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game and hit 45.0 percent of his 3-point shots. He was a man on a mission to prove that he was the best to ever play the game and a series like that, as a two-way dynamo, is a stunning case.

Next came another four-game sweep, this time against the Toronto Raptors. James was even more effective on offense, scoring 35 points three times and 39 in the fourth. More often than not, the Cavs looked to be playing with the Raptors. The Conference Finals saw them drop one close game to the Boston Celtics but also had victories by 44 and 33 points respectively on the road.
The Finals were similarly quick and one-sided, but this time James was on the receiving end. He averaged a triple-double in the series (32.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists) but no one was beating that Golden State Warriors team.