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CHAPTER THREE

Beating Detroit and

the NBA Finals

The 2006–07 season was a roller-coaster ride that, ironically, had Cleveland achieving a record identical to that of the previous season: 50–32. What was different was that this season, their record qualified them for a second seed in the playoffs instead of a fourth seed. This also meant that the Cavaliers would be on the opposite side of the bracket with the Detroit Pistons, and a potential rematch would not take place until the Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron continued to improve. By the end of the season, he had finished with a 27.3-point average, along with averaging 6.7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He was seen as one of the top five players in the league in only his fourth season in pro basketball. The first-round playoff series was a rematch against the Washington Wizards. The result was far different from the previous season’s dramatic series: Cleveland swept the Wizards under the rug with ease in four straight games. LeBron continued to dominate, and the Cavaliers made quick work of the Wizards.

Round two would be a tougher task, because the team was up against Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and the much-improved New Jersey Nets. The Cavaliers won game one with ease, and LeBron’s 36-point effort in game two enabled them to roll past New Jersey and take a 2–0 series lead. New Jersey bounced back at home, though, and won game three to climb back in the series.

In game four, Hughes chipped in 19 points alongside LeBron’s 30 to secure a narrow 87–85 victory against New Jersey. Two games later, Cleveland finished New Jersey off in the series, 4–2, advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship series to once again play the Detroit Pistons.

Game one in Detroit ended in dramatic fashion, as LeBron had a chance to put Cleveland ahead in the closing seconds but instead opted to pass off to teammate Donyell Marshall, who promptly missed a three-pointer to give Detroit the win. LeBron would undergo extreme criticism following the game for not taking the shot. Marshall had hit 6 three-pointers in game six of the semifinals, clinching the win against New Jersey a few nights prior, and LeBron saw that Marshall was wide open for the shot. Despite playing the Pistons tough all night and holding a lead numerous times, the Cavaliers still lost game one 79–76.

Game two would follow almost the exact storyline as the previous night. Once again, the game came down to the end with Cleveland having the ball and a chance to win. This time, however, LeBron didn’t hesitate to drive the lane and try to take the game-winning shot. He was fouled hard by numerous Detroit Pistons, only the referees chose not to call it, and the Detroit Pistons eventually got the rebound, ending Cleveland’s chance. The Detroit Pistons made some foul shots after Coach Brown’s technical penalty for arguing the fouls on LeBron not being called. Brown was livid, and he had every right to be, as the Detroit Pistons were hammering LeBron every time he touched the ball. The final score matched game one, with the Detroit Pistons on top 79–76.

The Cavaliers used their anger and heartbreak from both of the close losses to come out hungry and aggressive in game three back in Cleveland. The series continued to be physical, but the Cavaliers fought hard and won games three and four to even up the series. This series was following a timeline identical to the previous year’s, and game five was setting up to be every bit as crucial and dramatic. Cleveland again showed the willingness and strength not to break despite being down 2–0 in the series as they had the year before. It was another sign that LeBron’s dominance gave the Cavaliers momentum and confidence despite how bleak a situation looked. As long as LeBron was on the roster, the Cavaliers and their fans knew that the team had a chance to win any game and any series. A player with the heart, hustle, and determination that LeBron carries with him every time his feet touch the court is unstoppable.

Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals took place on May 31, 2007, and thanks to LeBron it would go down as one of the greatest games of all time. In one of the best playoff efforts in the history of the game, LeBron scored his team’s last 25 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 109–107 double overtime victory. LeBron scored 29 of his team’s last 30 points, and the Pistons had no answer for him. NBA fans everywhere sat in awe as he singlehandedly took the game over late in the fourth quarter and carried his teammates to the game-five win.

Ken Carman offered his insight on that epic night for LeBron and the Cavaliers:

I look back on it now, seven years later, and can truly appreciate what he did. It becomes even more remarkable when you look at his weak supporting cast—names like Damon Jones, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Boobie Gibson. Let’s be honest: These guys were a collection of garbage, with the exception of Anderson. It was just a total collection of garbage trying to support LeBron James. As we look back on it, I can’t defend that rotation and entire roster around him. They tried and made an effort at it, and I know that Larry Hughes was battling family problems with his brother dying, but he didn’t seem to care about basketball before or after that during his time in Cleveland; he even admitted as much. Years later, you saw the collapse of Mo Williams in the playoffs around LeBron James. This is why it is important for them to go out and get veteran talent like Mike Miller, Ray Allen, and James Jones like they did when [LeBron] left for Miami. He bases it on trust; he truly tries to trust his teammates. There is a difference between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and it isn’t just rings. Kobe trusts no one but Kobe. We call Kobe a ball hog, but I just think he has trust issues. For LeBron James, it’s different because I think he trusts too much. He passed it off too much at times because he trusted his teammates too much. He took a lot of heat for it because he was the one with all the talent and should have been taking the shots and have the ball in his hands during the final seconds. It’s important, however, for him to have other players he can pass it to when he is being double-covered. When you look back at that team as time goes on, we really marvel at what he has done. When you have a complete team like the Detroit Pistons who are coached by a great coach in Flip Saunders, it took a Herculean effort by LeBron James to get them past Detroit.

Kenny Roda, who was also on hand to witness that night live, gave his impressions on LeBron’s incredible performance:

I was at the Palace of Auburn Hills that night in Detroit to witness it. I watched it in person and could not believe my eyes what I was witnessing that day. You talk about being in a zone and you hear athletes talk about being in a zone, and that was the ultimate example of being in the zone. I think it was 25 straight and 29 of the last 30 and it was just amazing. He was doing it with jumpers, with men in his face that couldn’t stop him. He was driving to the basket and throwing down on guys like Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, and company, it was just something to behold. We were sitting there wondering how much more can he do and then he just kept giving more and more. He was exhausted when it was over, just exhausted walking off the court that night. They won that game and then won again in game six to advance. It was one of the most incredible performances of any individual basketball player I have ever seen. I put it up there with Magic Johnson going 42–15–7 in the final game against the 76ers in 1980 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was out of the lineup to win the Lakers the championship. Those games stand out in my mind as two of the best games I have ever witnessed based on the impact. They were playoff games and very important contests. It was the greatest game I have ever witnessed in person as far as a playoff game. To this day, am I blessed to have been in that building on that historic evening. I got to watch LeBron James put on a show that, in my opinion, hasn’t been duplicated in a Cavaliers uniform or many uniforms around the NBA.

Jerry Mires also recalled the epic game fondly:

That was amazing! That was one of the most amazing things and performances I have ever seen in any sport during any generation in the history of sports in the United States of America and all the galaxies combined. It was just out of this world! I’m a LeBron James critic in a lot of ways, but that was just like basketball at its highest form! It was like some of those moments over the years that you see with guys like MJ and Larry Bird, where they just take a game over. LeBron James just took it over and dominated—he just refused to lose. That was basketball at its highest form, that run right there!

The Detroit Pistons focused all of their efforts during the game-six battle on trying to stop LeBron. They held him in modest check through the beginning of the game, but it would only be a matter of time before LeBron broke loose. With the Pistons’ attention elsewhere, it allowed rookie sensation Daniel “Boobie” Gibson to get open for several three-pointers. By the night’s end, Gibson had hit 5 three-pointers on his way to a game high of 31 points. The plan on focusing solely on LeBron exploded in the face of Detroit and allowed Gibson to come out red-hot, eventually leading Cleveland to the series-clinching win.

Roda also provided his impression of the clinching performance from Gibson and the Cavaliers: “It was Boobie who really went off that night. LeBron James’ numbers were good, but he was so exhausted from the incredible game five that it had a carry-over effect and Boobie Gibson was there to pick up the slack in game number six.”

Despite the outcome in the NBA Finals—a sweep by the San Antonio Spurs—the run of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2007 playoffs will always be remembered as the coming-out party for LeBron. Carman gave his reasons as to why they couldn’t get past San Antonio in the finals: “The San Antonio Spurs were a complete team full of great shooters being coached by a legendary coach in Gregg Popovich. They played great team basketball. It is humbling, but it shows you what to do as a measuring stick on how to reach that next level. In a team sport like basketball you have to be humble and not let one guy take over.” In a matter of four years the Cavaliers had managed to rebound from having the league’s worst record to reaching the NBA Finals. It was a remarkable turnaround, and now the only question remaining was not if they could get back to the finals, but when they did, could they win it all?