In 2008, how did James and Kobe perform? James scored 45 points in tiebreak

The league welcomed a super strong team in the offseason in 2007. The Celtics traded for Ray Allen and Garnett. In addition to the original team leader Pierce, they also formed a team of Big Three. So the Celtics quickly rose, and the regular season teams won 66 wins and 16 losses in the league in the 2007-2008 season, and they were also the only team that won 60+ wins that season.

Entering the playoffs, although the Celtics did not show absolute dominance and they played as smoothly as they expected in each round of the series, in the end they still got their wishes. In this year's playoffs, the Celtics also eliminated two superstars in the league, James and Kobe. So what kind of performance did these two perform when facing a top team like the Celtics? Let’s review it together next!

First, let's take a look at James who played against the Celtics that year. When the Cavaliers ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 45 wins and 37 losses in the regular season, which is still a decline compared to last season. So when they faced the Celtics in the second round, the outside world was not optimistic about their performance. At the beginning of the series, a defensive battle between the two sides started, and the G1 team scored 148 points in total. Finally, the Celtics took the lead with a slight advantage of 76-72 lead to a good start.

James was completely defensive in this game. He made only 2 of 18 shots and 0 of 6 three-pointers and scored only 12 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. However, the three giants Lipirce and Ray Allen on the Celtics were also stunned by the Cavaliers' defense. The former had 4 points and Ray Allen had 0 points. If Garnett hadn't scored 28 points and 8 rebounds, it would have been hard to say about their game.

In the second game, the Celtics continued the defensive intensity of the previous game, and their offense also recovered. The Big Three successfully scored in double digits, among which Pierce scored the most 19 points. James's condition recovered slightly, but his shooting performance on 6 of 24 shots was still inefficient, and the Cavaliers lost the game at a disadvantage of 16 points.

G3 Cavaliers returned to home court, and the team's offense ushered in a big explosion. Although James still only made 5 of 16 shots in the overall shooting, he still scored 21 points with 3 of 5 three-pointers and 3 shots. He also contributed 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. In addition, the remaining Cavaliers players in this game also made 7 three-pointers, and the shooting percentage remained at 50%. In this game, Deronti West performed very well. He scored 21 points like James, and he also contributed 5 rebounds and 7 assists. In the end, the Cavaliers also defeated the Celtics and rewritten the score to 1-2. The G4 Cavaliers won another goal by defending. In this game, James made 7 of 20 shots and scored 21 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists, which gave the Cavaliers the opportunity to fight against the Celtics.

G5 James finally ushered in an explosion. He made 12 of 25 shots and 11 of 13 free throws to score 30+ in the first game of the series, contributing 35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in the whole game. In addition to him, Deronti West scored another 21 points, but unfortunately, the Celtics played more good players in this game, including Garnett 26 points and 16 rebounds, Rondo 20 points and 13 assists, Pierce 29 points, and Ray Allen 11 points. In the end, they also got the match point.

G6 has reached the edge of the cliff. The Cavaliers played a higher intensity defense without any retreat. In this game, they limited the Celtics to only score 69 points. Although their offensive efficiency is not high, they still scored 74 points and won the game. In this game, James scored 30+ consecutively, scoring 32 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the whole game. In addition to James, the only Cavaliers scored in double-digit Dronti West, who scored 10 points.

In the tiebreak, neither side could reserve anything. James played the strongest game in the series. He made 14 of 29 shots at home in the Celtics, 45 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, but Pierce on the opposite side was not inferior at all. He scored 41 points with a more efficient performance. With the help of the two of them, the winner was decided until the end of the game. What is helpless for the Cavaliers is that the Celtics are playing more people after all. In addition to Pierce, Garnett also scored 13 points and 13 rebounds. PJ Brown, who was a substitute, became the surprise and scored 10 points with 4 shots. In the end, the Celtics also successfully won the series 4-3.

All the series, James averaged 26.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, but his 35.5% shooting percentage and 5.3 turnovers per game also prove how much trouble the Celtics' defense has brought him.

Then there is Kobe. He led the Lakers to the West again after 8 years this season, and the regular season team also won 57 wins. In the playoffs, the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets, Jazz and Spurs, and reached the finals after 4 years. This time they faced their old rival, Celtics. After the G1 started, Kobe was also overwhelmed by the Celtics' defense. He only made 9 of 26 shots in the game, but he still scored 24 points and 6 assists. However, the three Celtics played better in this game. Garnett scored 24 points and 13 rebounds, Pierce scored 22 points, and Ray Allen scored 19 points, so they also won the game.

G2 Kobe recovered. He made 11 of 23 shots in the game, scoring 30 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, while the Celtics' Big Three still performed well, Pierce scored 28 points and 8 assists, Garnett scored 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Ray Allen scored 17 points, and they also took a 2-0 lead. Kobe continued to explode in G3, he made 12 of 20 shots and scored 36 points, while his teammate Vujasic also showed his power and scored 20 points. With the combined efforts of the two of them, the Lakers successfully won a game back..

Then starting from G4, the Celtics' defense against Kobe is more targeted. In this game, Kobe made 6 of 19 shots and 0 of 2 three-pointers and scored only 17 points, but at the same time he also gave 10 assists. In addition, Odom scored 19 points and 10 rebounds in this game. Pierce scored 20 points, Garnett scored 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen scored 19 points, and the team also took a 3-1 lead.

When it came to G5, Kobe made 8 of 21 shots, 4 of 9 three-pointers, scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. At the same time, Gasol and Odom performed very well. The two scored a total of 39 points and 24 rebounds. Therefore, even though Pierce scored 38 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in this game, the Lakers dragged the series into G6. In the last game, Kobe's performance continued to be sluggish, making 7 of 22 shots, only 22 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assists, Odom and Gasol scored 14 points, 10 rebounds, 11 points and 8 rebounds respectively. The Celtics team scored 131 points in multiple points, and in the end they ended the series in a massacre-like game at their home court and won the championship. In the finals, Kobe averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, but at the same time, his shooting percentage was only 40.5%, and he averaged 3.8 turnovers per game. Like James, his personal offense was limited most of the time very poorly.