G.O.A.T.--LeBron James
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST DIVISION: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz
PACIFIC DIVISION: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings
SOUTHWEST DIVISION: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors
CENTRAL DIVISION: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
SOUTHEAST DIVISION: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Despite the losing record, the season was not all negative. Throughout the season, the NBA gives out a Rookie of the Month award for each conference. LeBron James won it every single month for the Eastern Conference. Considering this, it should be no surprise that LeBron also took home the Rookie of the Year award. He was only the second player to win the award coming straight from high school, after Amar’e Stoudemire, who won it the year before. Everyone else who won had played in college first.
• • •
A BATTLE OF ROOKIES
LeBron’s rookie season was dominant. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. He is the first and only prep-to-pro player to average a 20/5/5 line. Compare those to other superstar players from around the same time: Steph Curry (18/4/6) and Kevin Durant (20/4/2). Both played in college before the NBA but still were not as good as LeBron. Another prep to pro star, Kobe Bryant (8/1/2), didn’t even come close. It’s clear that LeBron played one of the best rookie seasons ever. As far as prep-to-pro, LeBron is the G.O.A.T. He was only 19 years old and already one of the best players in the league.
LEBRON JAMES
POINTS: 20.9
REBOUNDS: 5.5
ASSISTS: 5.9
STEALS: 1.6
BLOCKS: .7.
AWARDS: ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM
KOBE BRYANT
POINTS: 7.6
REBOUNDS: 1.9
ASSISTS: 1.3
STEALS: .7
BLOCKS: .3
AWARDS: ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM
AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE
POINTS: 13.5
REBOUNDS: 8.8
ASSISTS: 1.0
STEALS: .8
BLOCKS: 1.1.
AWARDS: ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM
Despite all the praise and awards, LeBron was unhappy. Fueled by the first losing season of his life, he came back determined to improve as a team. Everything LeBron did, he did to win more games. He didn’t care about personal records or awards and the magazine covers. He had his eye on winning. This drive to be great is one of LeBron’s most important traits.
His sophomore season had some ups and downs. The team got along better than the previous year and LeBron was the undisputed leader. But there was also a losing streak that ended with Coach Silas being fired. Despite this, LeBron continued to improve. He upped his averages in every single statistic and the team posted its first winning record in five years! They ended the season 42 wins and 40 losses. LeBron averaged an eye-popping 27.2 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists.
One of the things LeBron James would become known for is the triple-double. A triple-double is like a double-double but instead of scoring double digits in two statistical categories, you score double digits in three. The most common triple-double includes double digits in points, rebounds, and assists. In his second season, LeBron recorded his first triple-double. On January 19, 2005, LeBron finally achieved one of the most difficult statistical feats in basketball, when he scored 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and passed for 10 assists in a win against the Portland Trailblazers. At 20, he was the youngest to ever achieve this feat. He did it again two games later against the Golden State Warriors on January 22, when the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 105–87. He had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He ended the season with 4 triple-doubles total. Not long after, LeBron reached another landmark. In March 2005, he scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, making him the youngest player to ever score that much in an NBA game. By the end of the season, he had 5 games over 40 points and 25 double-doubles. He was also the youngest player to score 2,000 total points in the NBA. With these numbers, it was no surprise that LeBron was selected to play in the All-Star Game. He’s been chosen to play every year since.
THE NBA ALL-STAR GAME
The NBA takes a break every year at the halfway point of the season. During this break, they play the All-Star Game. All the best players from the NBA form two teams and play each other in an exhibition game. Being selected to an All-Star team means a player is one of the best of the NBA. The first All Star game was played all the way back in 1951 and drew almost 10,000 people. It grew from there and in 2010 it set a record for most attendees at a basketball game with 108,713 people. All-Star Weekend has turned into a celebration of all things NBA, including a dunk contest, a skills contest, and a celebrity basketball game.
In just two seasons, LeBron had developed into one of the best players in the NBA. He was respected by fans and even his NBA peers were realizing he was more than just hype—he had proven himself to be hands down the best player on his team. Still, LeBron wanted more. He wanted to make the playoffs and win the NBA championship.
4
POSTSEASON LEBRON
Two years. That is all it took for young LeBron James to turn around the worst team in the league. By 2005, the once forgotten Cavaliers were filling their stadium with fans, and LeBron’s jersey was the best-selling in the league. King James was becoming the most famous Cavalier of all time.
LeBron, now 20, went into the 2005–2006 season more focused than ever. The Cavaliers management was also focused. They made a big splash by courting star free agent, Larry Hughes, who had just come off his best season of his career. He led the Washington Wizards to their first playoff appearance in eight years. Larry gave LeBron a true second scoring option and was an excellent defender. Larry was voted All NBA Defense the year before. Most important, unlike Davis during LeBron’s rookie year, Larry knew he was brought in to help LeBron, not the other way around. It was LeBron’s team and Hughes was excited to help whatever way he could. Partly thanks to Hughes and the rest of the Cavalier supporting cast, LeBron’s season was one of highlight dunks, fancy passes, and full box scores.
TRADES AND FREE AGENCY
It always seems like NBA players keep moving to new teams. That’s because a lot of them are! The two main ways players go to a new team is by trade or free agency. A trade is when two teams agree to swap players or draft picks. For example, if a team need a point guard but already has a couple shooting guards, they might find a team that needs shooting guards but has a point guard they don’t want. Trades can get really complicated and involve 3 or even more teams!
The other way players switch teams is free agency. Every player signs a contract with a team. Those contracts say the player will stay with the team for a certain amount of years. Once that time is up, they can sign a new contract or enter free agency. In free agency, any team can sign a player to a contract. LeBron switched teams when he was a free agent three times!
With amazing numbers, LeBron was named to his second All-Star team. He became the youngest player ever to win the All-Star Most Valuable Player award when he scored 29 points to help the Eastern conference win 122–120. On top of all that, LeBron’s historic regular season led to him coming in second place for Most Valuable Player Award, which is given every year to the league’s best player and is the NBA’s highest individual honor. At 21, he received more MVP votes than NBA superstars like Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant that year.
LEBRON AT 21–IN NUMBERS
2005–2006 SEASON AVERAGES
Points: 31.4
Rebounds: 7
Double-doubles: 21
(career high)
Assists: 6.6
Triple-doubles: 5
4th player in history to average 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.
Youngest player to ever reach 4,000 career points.
LeBron’s regular season was incredible, but the fun was just beginning. The Cavaliers, once a laughingstock of the NBA, were heading to the playoffs after finishing with a 50–32 record. Remember, this was only a few years after winning only 17 games. They matched up with the Washington Wizards for the LeBron’s first ever playoff series.
LeBron James had never played on a stage this big. He had also never been so nervous before a game. When he entered the Cleveland arena, it was filled to capacity. The 20,562 fans were buzzing. They waved white towels and wore black T-shirts that said “Witness” on them. Seeing so many people believe in him made LeBron a little less nervous, but he still had some jitters. LeBron made his way to the scorer’s table to perform his pregame ritual: the chalk toss. Before every game, LeBron filled his hands with chalk and tossed it in the air to signal the start of the game. It was always a fan favorite and this time was no different. The crowd exploded with excitement. It was time to get to work.
PLAYOFFS
At the end of every regular season, the eight teams from the Western and Eastern conferences with the best records advance to the NBA Playoffs. In the playoffs, teams face off in best of seven game series. The winner of the series advances. The losers’ season is over. There are 4 rounds to the playoffs (divisional, conference semi-finals, conference finals, and NBA Finals) until there is only one team left. That team is crowned the NBA Champions.
NBA 2006 PLAYOFF BRACKETS
LeBron started the game slow. He was nervous and wanted to wait for just the right shot. He passed to teammates and moved the ball around. On such a big stage, it seemed as if he was having trouble finding his focus. What if he choked? What if he let everyone down? Finally, almost three minutes into the game, LeBron dribbled up to the 3-point line and fired off a shot. It hung in the air and then came back down, completely missing the rim. Airball! LeBron’s first shot in an NBA playoff game was a whiff, but LeBron didn’t have time to think about it. He hustled back to get on defense. Caron Butler of the Wizards attempted a driving layup, but missed. LeBron leapt up and pulled down the rebound. He led the offense to the other end. It did not take long for LeBron to forget about his bad first shot. LeBron drove to the basket from the 3-point line. He beat his man and rolled in for an easy layup. His first playoff basket! All the nervousness washed away. It was just another game.
Lebron making a move against the Washington Wizards
Once he realized that, he didn’t let up. And LeBron wasn’t just scoring. He made dazzling passes to his open teammates and ripped down rebounds. After his slow start, LeBron ended the game with 11 rebounds and 11 assists to go with 32 points. He had a triple double in his first ever playoff game! The most important stat to LeBron? The W. The win made up for all of it. The airball, the nervousness, the huge expectations. He overcame them. The Cavaliers went on to win the series 4 to 2.
LeBron and the Cavaliers dropped the first two games of the next series to the heavily favored Pistons. The Pistons were a basketball powerhouse and the Cavaliers took them to the brink. But despite the 3-win streak that they had in the middle, the Cavaliers ultimately lost the playoff series. The loss in game 7 stung since they had squandered a 3–2 series lead. It was a disappointing end to a great season, but everyone knew it would not be the last trip to the playoffs for the Cavaliers. The most important thing they learned was that they could handle it. LeBron and his teammates could compete with the best teams on the biggest stage.
The very next season (2006–2007), LeBron and his team came back and did it all over again, winning 50 games on their way to another playoff appearance. LeBron was devastated by the loss to the Pistons, especially since they were only one game away from winning the series. LeBron focused his disappointment and energy on improving the areas of his game that he knew were imperfect. He hired a shooting coach and would stay after practice, sometimes for hours, practicing his outside shot. LeBron knew the reason the Pistons had succeeded the year before was because of their intense defense. He wanted to add that to his game. He placed a new focus and energy on defense and used his athleticism to shut down teams’ best players and protect the rim with big blocks. Even while he was being called one of the best basketball players in the world, LeBron kept working on his game.
The Cavaliers management wanted to improve as a team, too. They brought in new players to help LeBron on the court, but had trouble attracting stars. LeBron didn’t want to be a one-man show in a game that required 5 players. Larry Hughes continued to deliver for LeBron as a good second option, but the team was not able to attract a third star to complete the team. The Cavaliers continued to rely on crafty veterans, which was good enough for LeBron at the time, but left them with depth problems.
As fate would have it, LeBron’s Cavs played the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. The previous season, the Wizards won two games in the series, but this year was different. LeBron had leveled up, becoming an even better player. In the series, he averaged almost 28 points with more than 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The Cavaliers easily swept the Wizards. A sweep in the playoffs is when a team wins the series without losing a single game.
After Washington, they played a much tougher series against the New Jersey Nets, but still won the second round 4-2. This meant that they had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, a first for LeBron and only the third time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Eastern Conference Finals matches up the best two teams in the East, so it was no surprise that their competition was fierce. The Cavs would be playing none other than the Detroit Pistons, the same team that beat them in the playoffs the year before.
The Cavs lost the first two games of the series in Detroit to a Pistons team that was playing near-perfect basketball. LeBron was hounded by the Pistons trademark impassable defense. But in game 3, the Cavs got to play on their home turf, where they seemed to lock in to a rhythm. LeBron fired off 32 points in game 3 and dished out 11 assists in game 4. LeBron was a human highlight reel for these two games, but no highlight would be shown more than his rim-rocking dunk over Pistons star center Rasheed Wallace.
After winning both home games, the Cavaliers were headed back to Detroit. There is an old saying in basketball: “It isn’t a series until someone loses at home.” So far, both teams had defended their home court, tying the series at 2–2. In game 5, LeBron was determined to attack the legendary Pistons defense. He told his teammates before the game that the only way to beat their defense was to be aggressive for the entire game. At points, LeBron drove hard to the basket and made it look easy. He started from behind the 3-point line and dribbled smoothly around three defenders. He wove and drove. He went over the defense. He went around the defense, and when he had to, he went through the defense. He hit shots inside and out. No matter what defenses or double teams, when two players defend one player, the Pistons threw at him, LeBron would either get by them or pass to an open teammate. While LeBron had his way with their defense, the Pistons offense continued to deliver. For every point LeBron scored, the Pistons answered. This pushed LeBron even harder. He was determined to use every ounce of energy he had. With three minutes left, the Pistons pulled ahead by 7 points. LeBron immediately answered with a layup, a 3-pointer, and a thunderous dunk to bring it back to a tie with only 9 seconds left. The 4th quarter ended with it knotted up at 91.
After a short rest, LeBron somehow found even more energy to help his team and to keep punishing the Pistons defense, but the Pistons offense kept coming back. The first overtime ended with the score tied at 100. In the second overtime, the game was still tied, 107 to 107. LeBron had the ball and was matched up against Chauncy Billups, the scrappy Detroit point guard. LeBron drove and got a step on Billups. Billups couldn’t recover and
the rest of the defense did not react fast enough. LeBron gathered the ball, took two huge steps, and leapt to the basket. The clock showed less than three seconds left. Three Piston defenders jumped toward LeBron as he cast up the shot. The ball lightly bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. A textbook layup. With 2.2 seconds left, LeBron had put his team up 109–107 with the first shot he learned to shoot. The Pistons were unable to answer and the game was over. Cavs won. LeBron limped back to the sidelines and collapsed into a chair. He had spent every last bit of strength he had. So much so, he did not realize he had scored every single Cavalier point in both overtimes. LeBron was not concerned about his incredible 48 points. He just wanted to go home and rest up for the next game.
The memory of the defeat from the previous season was still fresh for LeBron, and he was determined not to repeat it. The next game was in Cleveland after a day of rest. LeBron badly needed it and came back to the Cleveland arena with fresh legs. The game was back and forth for the first 3 quarters. The Cavs went into the 4th quarter up by one point, but they jumped out on a long scoring run, and the Pistons had problems scoring. The home team Cavaliers outscored the Pistons by 15 points in the 4th quarter. When the final buzzer rang, it didn’t quite seem real. At 22 years old, the kid from Akron was on his way to his first NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers met the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals. The Spurs team practiced shut down defense and slow paced half-court offense. Their coach, Gregg Popovich, was known as an expert tactician. LeBron knew going in that Popovich had a plan to shut him down. LeBron went in confident that he could handle their defense just like he had handled the Pistons defense. The Spurs not only had one of the greatest coaches out there, they had experience. The Spurs players had played in 103 NBA finals games between them. On the Cavaliers, only one player had ever been to the NBA Finals. The Spurs were the heavy favorite.