When Jeff Van Gundy Heaped Praise on LeBron James for His Incredible 2018 Playoff Run With Cavs

Joseph Galizia | 31/08/2025
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 13: Cleveland Cavaliers Forward LeBron James (23) taking a moment to think before shooting a free throw versus Oklahoma City Thunder on February 13, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City

LeBron James, at 33 years old and in his 15th season, wasn’t expected to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back the way he did in the 2018 Playoffs. It was something straight out of a movie. His performances were so extraordinary that, even today, they’re a topic of discussion in the NBA community.

What made LeBron’s run so crazy was the amount of work he had to put in just to get the Cavaliers into the postseason. Kyrie Irving, who won the championship with him in 2016, was gone, and Bron was arguably the only star on a team that still had title-winning expectations. Night after night, he turned in monster games to secure a fourth-place finish.

In the Playoffs, James and the Cavs beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games, followed by a 4-0 dismantling of the Toronto Raptors. The Boston Celtics pushed them hard and came very close to making it to the Finals, but it was James’ brilliance that got them over the line in the end. Jeff Van Gundy saw it fit to remind everyone of his individual greatness in the aftermath of the series, which was the only thing that gave the Cavs hope that year.

Down 3-2 against the Celtics, James dropped 46 points in Game 6 in Cleveland, then followed it up with a 48-minute masterpiece in Game 7: 35 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, and not a single second of rest. “I don’t have this all in my head about all the teams. But I would hearken to say that no one person has ever shouldered more and has gotten his team to the Finals,” said Van Gundy with 40 seconds left in the game and the Cavs up by 10.

“The lack of help, as far as consistently, that they are able to advance to the Finals, I’ll say it again, he’ll never have a greater achievement than getting to the Finals,” the now Clippers assistant, who still couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed in Boston, added.

Unfortunately, the Cinderella story came to an end in the Finals. The Golden State Warriors’ firepower was too much to overcome, and James’ epic postseason run ended with another loss in the championship round.

Regardless, when people talk about LeBron’s career, his 2018 playoff run stands as one of the defining chapters in his GOAT candidacy. It was peak greatness on full display: the dominance, the clutch shots, the leadership, and the sheer willpower to keep a flawed team alive. He may have lost out on the big prize, but he reminded everyone why he’s one of the best to ever do it.

James is now entering his 23rd NBA season at 40 years old. Will he be able to pull off that kind of magic one more time? That remains to be seen, but if anyone can, it’s LeBron.

 

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
cleveland cavaliers Jeff van Gundy LeBron James

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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