In his illustrious career, LeBron James has found himself under the bright lights of a Game 7 on eight separate occasions. LBJ knows this hostile environment all too well, and as a matter of fact, he’s developed a preference or two when it comes to these winner-take-all matchups.
James’ longtime agent, Rich Paul, shared one LBJ playoff quirk in a recent episode of the “Game Over” podcast. Interestingly, this preference goes against conventional playoff wisdom.
“One thing LeBron used to always say to me is, “I don’t want to play a home game for Game 7. I’d rather play on the road,’” Paul shared.
When the Klutch Sports CEO asked his friend why he prefers to eschew the all-important home-court advantage for a Game 7, James admitted that he was trying to avoid a certain type of audible reaction. “There’s less oohs and aahs,” Paul explained. “Every miss for the home crowd is an ooh or an aah. Every time there’s something, there’s a reaction to it.”
According to Paul, James found that there was less emotional backlash of this nature when he’s playing a high-stakes game on the road. “It’s Game 7. You have to be able to lock in,” Paul added.
James’ track record with Game 7s is a story unto itself. His first two Game 7s came on the road: a 2006 battle with the Detroit Pistons bannered by Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, and a 2008 duel with the Boston Celtics’ “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Both times, James (who was under 24 years of age) failed to tow the Cavs to a conference finals appearance.
Since then, James has not lost a Game 7, improving his record to 6-2. In 2016, he capped off the Cavs’ dramatic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit with a 27-11-11 stat line to clinch his third NBA title and third Finals MVP award. Two years later, he got the better of a young Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown tandem as he led Cleveland to a fourth straight NBA Finals.
LBJ is 2-2 on the road and 4-0 at home in his personal Game 7 history. Yet, if given the chance, he’d rather face the jeers of a fired-up crowd on the road than the pressure and expectations of his team’s fanbase.
