It would take LeBron James at least five more years to catch Michael Jordan’s six NBA titles, but he needs just four more wins to match his all-time win streak at 18 games. Sunday appeared to be the biggest obstacle to the current winning streak, as the home crowd in New York was cheering the Knicks onto an apparent third straight 20-point win over the Heat this season – and then James took over again. The side-by-side comparison of Jordan’s best ever 18-game winning streak and James best ever are below.
Dwyane Wade had to step in on an offnight by James to beat Memphis last week 98-91 to get the streak to 13 games, and Wade scored another 20 Sunday against the Knicks. However, James took over with 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to rally the Heat to a 99-93 win in Madison Square Garden for their 14th straight win.
The Knicks led by as many as 16 behind 32 points by Carmelo Anthony, and James appeared injured in the third quarter before storming back. If the Heat can win their next game at Minnesota, then James can tie Jordan if the Heat win the next three games all at home. The Heat would tie the streak at 18 with a win over the Indiana Pacers, who along with the Knicks have given the Heat the biggest matchup problem this year. However, that game would be easier than Sunday’s win since the Pacers will be traveling to Miami.
| Dec 29 1995-Feb 2 1996 | Bulls | Opp | Streak | Feb 3 2013-March 10 2013 | Heat | Opp | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers | h | 120 | 93 | W 1 | Toronto Raptors | a | 100 | 85 |
| Atlanta Hawks | h | 95 | 93 | W 2 | Charlotte Bobcats | h | 99 | 94 |
| Houston Rockets | h | 100 | 86 | W 3 | Houston Rockets | h | 114 | 108 |
| Charlotte Hornets | a | 117 | 93 | W 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | h | 111 | 89 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | h | 113 | 84 | W 5 | Los Angeles Lakers | h | 107 | 97 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | h | 113 | 87 | W 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | h | 117 | 104 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | a | 120 | 93 | W 7 | Oklahoma City Thunder | a | 110 | 100 |
| Washington Bullets | a | 116 | 109 | W 8 | Atlanta Hawks | a | 103 | 90 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | h | 116 | 104 | W 9 | Chicago Bulls | a | 86 | 67 |
| Toronto Raptors | a | 92 | 89 | W 10 | Philadelphia 76ers | a | 114 | 90 |
| Detroit Pistons | a | 111 | 96 | W 11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | h | 109 | 105 |
| New York Knicks | a | 99 | 79 | W 12 | Sacramento Kings | h | 141 | 129 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | h | 104 | 84 | W 13 | Memphis Grizzlies | h | 98 | 91 |
| Miami Heat | h | 102 | 80 | W 14 | New York Knicks | a | 99 | 93 |
| Phoenix Suns | h | 93 | 82 | W 15 | Minnesota Timberwolves | a | ||
| Houston Rockets | a | 98 | 87 | W 16 | Orlando Magic | h | ||
| Sacramento Kings | a | 105 | 85 | W 17 | Philadelphia 76ers | h | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers | a | 99 | 84 | W 18 | Indiana Pacers | h | ||
| Average Bulls Score | 106 | 89 | Average Heat Score | 106 | 96 |
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