LeBron James is one of the most dominant professional athletes of the last decade, with accolade after accolade to prove just that. 

LeBron is set to make a run at a fourth NBA title as the Cleveland Cavaliers head into the playoffs. Strangely enough, despite the Cavaliers staying intact, they're going into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

The Cavaliers will go to work against Paul George, Lance Stephenson and the Indiana Pacers in the first round, where James has been absolutely dominant his entire career. Not going in as the top-seeded club may seem ominous, but that's never stopped LeBron from succeeding before.

LeBron's teams have entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed five times, each time making it to the NBA Finals. If there was doubt brewing from their seeding, that should wipe it clean out of the equation.

If the Cavaliers don't reach the NBA Finals, it won't be because they didn't lock up the top seed. How did King James' teams do once they reached the championship series, though? Let's take a look at the five times LeBron led his team as the No. 2 seed. 

The First Time

It didn't take long for LeBron to make his first NBA Finals appearance, accomplishing the feat in just his fourth season since jumping to the league straight out of high school. The Cavaliers did it as the No. 2 seed.

LeBron and the Cavs swept the Washington Wizards, then went on to beat both the New Jersey Nest and Detroit Pistons 4-2. 

Then they met the buzz saw that was the San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich had little time to peddle with the young LeBron, sweeping the Cavaliers out of the finals with ease. 

South Beach Sorrow

It didn't take long for the Miami Heat to become one of the top teams in the league once LeBron came to town in 2010.

The Big Three got off to a slow start initially, though, and analysts immediately began to ponder if the trio of LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was more hype than results. There were even questions about whether Erik Spoelstra was the right coach for this team.

They balanced things out and finished the season as the No. 2 seed, then dominated the Eastern Conference. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers (4-1), Boston Celtics (4-1) and Chicago Bulls (4-1) before they were stopped in their tracks by German engineering.

We're talking about Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, who stifled King James in a stunning NBA Finals.

Thunderous Redemption

Major doubts stormed around the Heat following their failure to immediately deliver a title together. It didn't help that the Mavericks were such an unsuspected championship contender. 

The 2011-2012 season was a strange one, though, with the NBA having a shortened regular season following a nasty lockout. Players and league executives engaged in a bitter standoff that cut the NBA season down by 16 games and condensed the schedule severely. 

The Heat would once again enter the postseason with the No. 2 seed, and this time their path was progressively harder with each passing round in the Eastern Conference. 

Miami dominated the Knicks (4-1), had a tough round with the Pacers (4-2) and then went the full seven-game experience with the Celtics (4-3). 

They went on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals and absolutely thrashed them in a 4-1 beat down. LeBron captured his first of three NBA titles, and on top of eliminating the Thunder, they effectively ended the James Harden era in Oklahoma City. 

Spurred revenge

LeBron and the Heat gang locked up the No. 1 seed and a second NBA title in the 2012-2013 NBA season. Fast forward to the 2013-2014 season, though, and it was back to the No. 2 seed for Miami. 

As usual, it didn't matter a great deal to the Heat. They swept the Charlotte Hornets in the first round, handily sent the Brooklyn Nets packing (4-1) and dispatched of what looked like an up-and-coming Pacers team (again) with a 4-2 series victory.

Then came the San Antonio Spurs. 

The Spurs were back with payback in their minds after losing to the Heat in a seven-game series the previous postseason. San Antonio jumped all over the Heat, thrashing them in a 4-1 series that was never really close. The Spurs won by double-digits in each of their four victories. 

Cleveland, rocked

LeBron decided it was time to go home and lick his wounds after the beat down the Spurs put on the Heat, returning to the Cavaliers. The homecoming went smoothly, with King James teaming up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Once again, though, he entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. Similarly, it was a non-issue again. The Cavaliers swept the Celtics in the first round, easily elimiminated the Bulls (4-2) and brought out the brooms again against the Atlanta Hawks.

Enter Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers fell victim to the Splash Bros, the amazing breakout season from Draymond Green, and the veteran Swiss army knife that is Andre Iguodala in a 4-2 NBA Final series. 

We'll see if LeBron can make it six-straight NBA Finals trips as the No. 2 seed this season it was should be an amazing NBA playoffs. History tells us it's a pretty safe bet.