Is This LeBron's Best Team Ever? What Game 1 Told Us

After the game, BetsFriends posted its overreaction on X: after one game, this is the best team LeBron James has ever been a part of. Here is what the box score says about that take.

Game 1 by the numbers

The 76ers opened LeBron's first season in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026, at Madison Square Garden, on the night the defending champion Knicks celebrated their title. Philadelphia won 106-100.

All four stars had at least 5 assists, and the team finished with 28 assists, 10 blocks and 8 steals. The Knicks shot 37% (35-94), and Jalen Brunson scored 21 on 6-19.

It wasn't a blowout. New York led by as many as 10 in the first half, Philadelphia by as many as 9, and the lead changed hands 6 times. The 76ers trailed 58-54 at the half, then won the third quarter 29-18.

He didn't have to carry it

LeBron's own line was modest: 14 points on 5-13 shooting in 33:46, and a -2 while he was on the floor. The case for this team is what happened around him.

• The minutes he sat. By our count from the official play-by-play, LeBron sat for about 14 minutes across four stretches, and the 76ers won those minutes by 8.
• The longest rest. He went to the bench with 5:59 left in the third quarter and Philadelphia down 64-66. When he checked back in with 1.5 seconds left in the quarter, the 76ers led 80-76. Simons hit three 3s in that stretch, all set up by Brown.
• The buzzer. Right after he came back, LeBron found Brown for a 3 at the third-quarter buzzer, the last shot of an 11-0 run that turned 72-76 into 83-76.

The plays that decided it

• A quick burst. Early in the third, LeBron scored three straight 76ers baskets in 73 seconds (an alley-oop dunk and a running layup, both from Brown, then a running layup from Maxey), turning a 58-63 deficit into a 64-63 lead.
• A steal into a layup. At 11:04 of the third he picked off a pass from OG Anunoby and set up a Maxey running layup.
• The play that never hit his box score. With about 1:55 left and Philadelphia up 102-98, ESPN described how LeBron's pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns took away Anunoby's pass. Anunoby threw crosscourt instead, and Maxey intercepted it and dunked for 104-98.
• A block at the rim. At 1:32 he blocked a Mikal Bridges layup and grabbed the rebound.
• The finish. With 7.7 seconds left he made two free throws for the final 106-100.

Why "best team ever" is a real question

LeBron is 41 and playing a record 24th NBA season, and he has had great teams before:

• Miami, 2010 to 2014: four straight Finals and two titles, with LeBron the Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013.
• The 2020 Lakers: a title, and LeBron was Finals MVP again.
• Last season's Lakers: Luka Doncic (33.5 points a game) and Austin Reaves (23.3) both outscored LeBron (20.9), and the season ended in a sweep by Oklahoma City in the West semifinals.

The case against, for now

• It's one game. The 76ers went 45-37 last season, and these same Knicks swept them in the second round.
• Embiid shot 4-15. Philadelphia won with defense, the bench and a Knicks team that shot 37%.
• The next test comes fast. According to the AP recap, the 76ers host Cleveland on Thursday, Oct 22, LeBron's first home game in Philadelphia.

Our take

Best team LeBron has ever been on? After one game, we're saying yes, and we know it's an overreaction. The number that sells it isn't his 14 points. It's Maxey's 28, four stars with at least 5 assists each, and a team that won the minutes he sat. LeBron at 41 doesn't have to do everything every night anymore, and in Game 1 he didn't.

Watch the Short

We made a 33-second Short on this take: LeBron's Best Team EVER? Sorry Lakers Fans on the BetsFriends YouTube channel. Tell us in the comments if it's the best team ever or an overreaction.

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