LeBron James

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Lore & Background

The 2006–07 season was a watershed moment for LeBron James and Cleveland. Entering his fourth year, the young forward guided the Cavaliers to the second-place finish in the Central Division with a 50–32 record. The team boasted the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA, showcasing a balanced effort beyond just offense. In the playoffs, James led the charge through three rounds of elimination basketball. The First Round saw a historic sweep of the Washington Wizards, avenging the previous year's exit and capitalizing on injuries to Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. The path to the Finals was paved with dramatic victories. After eliminating the New Jersey Nets in six games—avenging a regular-season loss where the Nets had knocked Cleveland out on the final day—the Cavaliers faced the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. The Eastern Conference finals became one of the closest series in NBA history, with the first five games decided by six points or less. Trailing 0–2, James delivered a career-defining performance in Game 5 at The Palace, scoring 48 points in double overtime to force a sixth game. He scored Cleveland's final 25 points of that contest, including all 18 in the extra sessions. In Game 6, rookie Daniel Gibson erupted for a career-high 31 points to close out the series, sending Cleveland to its first NBA Finals.

In Their Own Story

The spotlight of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals fell heavily on LeBron James. After key last-second decisions led to losses in Games 1 and 2 against Detroit by identical scores, the media questioned his composure following a playoff career-low 10 points in Game 1. However, James rallied to win close games at home, evening the series at two. The turning point arrived in Game 5 back in Detroit. It became one of the most memorable postseason games in recent history as the Cavaliers stunned the Pistons on their home court. In a double-overtime thriller, James scored his playoff career-high 48 points. He single-handedly scored the team's final 25 points of the game, including every single point Cleveland scored during the first overtime period and all 18 in the second. This performance carried the momentum into Game 6, where rookie Daniel Gibson provided the final blow with five three-pointers in the second half to secure the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals.

Reader's Guide

LeBron James finished the 2006–07 regular season as the team's leading scorer and placed fifth in league MVP voting. Despite his individual brilliance, the Cavaliers faced a steep challenge in the NBA Finals against the veteran San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had reached the Finals three of the past eight seasons, winning each time. In Game 1, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili limited James to just 14 points on 4–16 shooting as Cleveland lost its first-ever Finals game. The series momentum shifted heavily in Game 2 when the Spurs led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter; a late 25–6 rally by Cleveland could not overcome the deficit. Game 3 saw rookie Daniel Gibson score a series-low 2 points on 1–10 shooting, and the game ended with James missing a potential game-tying 29-foot three-pointer. It was the lowest-scoring Finals game since 1955. In Game 4, Cleveland staged a rally to take its first second-half lead with 14 consecutive points, but San Antonio responded with a 12–3 run to complete the sweep. The Cavaliers would not return to the Finals until 2015, after James returned from his four-year tenure with Miami.

Did You Know?

• LeBron James scored the Cavaliers' final 25 points in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, including all 18 points during double overtime.
• The 2007 NBA Finals featured the first-ever appearance for the Cleveland Cavaliers and every player on their roster except reserve point guard Eric Snow.
• Rookie Daniel Gibson set a franchise playoff record with 31 points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, including five three-pointers in the second half.
• In Game 3 of the Finals, Tim Duncan scored only 14 points, marking his lowest scoring output in any NBA Finals game during his career.
• LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 8,000 career points on March 14, 2007, at age 22 years and 74 days.