Former Pacers player relives insane playoff story of facing LeBron James

LeBron James is arguably the greatest NBA player in league history, and as such, he has achieved many accomplishments and milestones. Additionally, he has been a part of some of the game's biggest moments. Unfortunately for the Indiana Pacers, James has been a thorn in their side no matter where he is playing for his whole career.

Whether it is the NBA Cup Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, or numerous playoff series as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat, "King James' has had numerous battles against the Pacers.

In a recent episode of his podcast, Club 520, former Pacers guard Jeff Teague told a story that likely fans of other teams may find hilarious. Teague recounted the Pacers' infamous 26-point collapse to James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of their 2017 Eastern Conference first-round series.

Teague spoke about thinking he "finally beat" James in a playoff game following their massive lead. However, he said that after seeing James as a leader and telling his teammates to "keep their head up," he knew they would come back and defeat them once again.

“I’ve never won a playoff game against him," Teague said. "I played in four series with this man, I got swept four times... I was playing for the Pacers, only year I played for the Pacers, we up 30 (in) Game 3, I’m like, 'I finally beat this dude, bro.' He walking at halftime saying, 'We good, we good, everybody, keep their head up.’

"They were down 8 in the third quarter. I looked at them, I said, 'It's over, they gonna beat us bruh.'"

The aftermath of the Indiana Pacers' Game 3 collapse

Ultimately, the Pacers lost to the Cavaliers 119-114 to go down 0-3 in the series. The Cavaliers, who were the reigning champs heading into this season, also took Game 4 by a score of 106-102 to complete the sweep and advance to the second round.

In Game 3, the Pacers were led by Paul George, who scored 36 points on 10-for-28 shooting. George was the only Pacers player to record more than 15 points in the loss.

Teague recorded 15 points of his own and shot 4-for-6 from the three-point line. Additionally, Lance Stephenson (13 points), Thaddeus Young, and Kevin Seraphin (11 points each) were the only other Pacers who scored in double digits.

The Pacers would get another crack at James and the Pacers in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. However, they lost in seven games despite having a 2-1 series lead.

As for Cleveland, they made it to the NBA Finals again in 2017 before ultimately losing to Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Fast forward seven years later, and the Pacers are arguably in a better position than both the Cavaliers and James' Lakers. However, it is tough not to think back to their collapse in 2017 and wonder how different things would be if they hung on.