LeBron James has been the epitome of dominance during his storied NBA career. Between his unparalleled physical abilities and his brilliantly well-rounded skill set, James has overwhelmed teams at every stop of his career.
As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for the 2024-25 season, they can take solace in the fact that James' presence on the court is a virtual guarantee of a win against a legendary rival.
The Lakers and Detroit Pistons have met in the NBA Playoffs on 11 separate occasions. Eight of those encounters transpired between 1949-50 and 1961-62, when the Pistons were still in the Western Conference, while the other three were played in the NBA Finals.
The two sides are unlikely to meet in the NBA Finals this coming season, but James' presence creates a clear answer to who the favorite to win will be during the regular season.
The Pistons’ starting five the last time they beat LeBron James:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 18, 2024
— Delon Wright
— Wayne Ellington
— Jerami Grant
— Blake Griffin
— Mason Plumlee pic.twitter.com/3JHeCDC5FV
That game was played on January 28, 2021—and James and the Lakers got their win back less than two weeks later.
Why buy a team when LeBron James already owns the Detroit Pistons?
James boasts a career record of 42-21 against the Pistons. That includes his recent stretch of six consecutive victories against the team that he once tormented in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, with two wins coming during the 2023-24 season.
It's also worth noting that James had perhaps the best performance of his career against Detroit.
For those unfamiliar, James took over in a way that few could even imagine during the 2007 NBA Playoffs. In a crucial Game 5 encounter, he scored 29 of the Cleveland Cavaliers' final 30 points, including 25 straight, to lead his team to a 109-107 win and a 3-2 series lead.
It remains one of the greatest performancs in NBA history, as well as a definitive moment in James' ascension to becoming the face of the Association.
Fast forward to 2024-25 and the Lakers will need every win they can get as they attempt to reach the playoffs for a third straight season. That was once par for the course, but Los Angeles hasn't made three consecutive postseason appearances since 2013.
With games on Nov. 4 in Detroit and Dec. 23 in Los Angeles, the Lakers will look to pick up two crucial wins as they build momentum toward a drought-ending result.
The Lakers have actually won seven consecutive games against the Pistons, including one during which James was out of the lineup. Streaks are meant to be broken, however, and Detroit has a star on the rise in Cade Cunningham.
It may not be the game that everyone has circled on their calendars, but any time a streak is on the line, both sides will be motivated to break or sustain it.