2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers season

2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Conference champions
Head coach	Mike Brown
General manager	Danny Ferry
Owner(s)	Dan Gilbert
Arena	Quicken Loans Arena
Results
Record	50–32 (.610)
Place	Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Spurs 0–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	FSN Ohio WUAB
Radio	WTAM

LeBron James led the Cavaliers to their first Eastern Conference championship.

The 2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 37th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. Led by 22-year old forward LeBron James, the Cavaliers finished the season with a 50–32 record, finishing second-place in the Central Division, winning their first Eastern Conference championship, and earning the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. During the season, the Cavaliers had the fourth best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Prior to making their first NBA Finals appearance, in the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Washington Wizards in four games in the First Round, defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games in the semifinals, and defeated the Detroit Pistons in six games in the conference finals.

However, in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers would collapse, as they were swept by the more experienced San Antonio Spurs in four games. LeBron James was the team's leading scorer and finished in 5th place in league MVP voting.

The Cavaliers would not make it back to the Finals until 2015, when James returned to the team after a four year tenure with the Miami Heat.

Key Dates

• On June 28, the 2006 NBA draft took place in New York City.
• In July, the free agency period began.
• On October 10, the Cavaliers' preseason began with a 93–109 loss to the Boston Celtics.
• On November 1, the Cavaliers' regular season began with a 97–94 win over the Washington Wizards.
• On March 27, the Cavaliers clinched a playoff berth.
• On June 2, the Cavaliers won their first ever Eastern Conference championship.
• On June 14, the Cavaliers' season ended in an NBA Finals sweep to the San Antonio Spurs.

Offseason

Free agents

Additions Player Date Former team Scot Pollard August 18 Indiana Pacers David Wesley September 5 Houston Rockets

Subtractions Player Date New team Flip Murray July 18 Detroit Pistons Stephen Graham August 9 Portland Trail Blazers Alan Henderson September 8 Philadelphia 76ers Eddie Basden November Fenerbahçe

Trades

August 18, 2006

To Cleveland Cavaliers Eddie Basden

To Chicago Bulls Martynas Andriuskevicius

October 13, 2006

To Cleveland Cavaliers Dwayne Jones

To Boston Celtics Luke Jackson and cash considerations

Draft picks

Main article: 2006 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	25	Shannon Brown	Guard	United States	Michigan State
2	42*	Daniel Gibson	Guard	United States	Texas
2	55	Ejike Ugboaja	Forward	Nigeria	Union Bank Lagos (Nigeria)

^*2nd round pick acquired from Philadelphia in Lee Nailon deal.

Roster

2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G 6 Brown, Shannon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1985-11-29 Michigan State G 1 Gibson, Daniel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1986-02-27 Texas F 90 Gooden, Drew 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1981-09-24 Kansas G 32 Hughes, Larry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1979-01-23 Saint Louis C 11 Ilgauskas, Zydrunas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1975-06-05 Lithuania F 23 James, LeBron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH) G 19 Jones, Damon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1976-08-25 Houston F 27 Jones, Dwayne 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 251 lb (114 kg) 1983-06-09 Saint Joseph's F 24 Marshall, Donyell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1973-05-18 Connecticut F 14 Newble, Ira 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1975-01-20 Miami (OH) G 3 Pavlović, Aleksandar 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1983-11-15 Serbia C 31 Pollard, Scot 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1975-02-12 Kansas G 20 Snow, Eric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1973-04-24 Michigan State C 17 Varejão, Anderson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1982-09-28 Brazil G 4 Wesley, David 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1970-11-14 Baylor

Head coach Mike Brown Assistant coach(es) Hank Egan Melvin Hunt Chris Jent John Kuester Kenny Natt Michael Malone Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: March 26, 2007

Player salaries

Rank	Player	Salary
1	Larry Hughes	$13,363,012
2	Zydrunas Ilgauskas	$9,422,697
3	Drew Gooden	$6,645,402
4	LeBron James	$6,128,090
5	Eric Snow	$6,093,750
6	Donyell Marshall	$5,633,037
7	Damon Jones	$3,884,678
8	Ira Newble	$3,196,050
9	Scot Pollard	$2,200,000
10	Sasha Pavlović	$1,962,206
11	David Wesley	$1,750,000
12	Shannon Brown	$971,280
13	Anderson Varejão	$945,600
14	Dwayne Jones	$664,209
15	Daniel Gibson	$412,718

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	53	29	.646	-	26–15	27–14	9–7
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	50	32	.610	3	30–11	20–21	10–6
x-Chicago Bulls	49	33	.598	4	31–10	18–23	12–4
Indiana Pacers	35	47	.427	18	22–19	13–28	8–8
Milwaukee Bucks	28	54	.341	25	18–23	10–31	1–15

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Detroit Pistons	53	29	.646	–
2	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	50	32	.610	3
3	y-Toronto Raptors	47	35	.573	6
4	y-Miami Heat	44	38	.537	9
5	x-Chicago Bulls	49	33	.598	4
6	x-New Jersey Nets	41	41	.500	12
7	x-Washington Wizards	41	41	.500	12
8	x-Orlando Magic	40	42	.488	13
9	Philadelphia 76ers	35	47	.427	18
10	Indiana Pacers	35	47	.427	18
11	New York Knicks	33	49	.402	20
12	Charlotte Bobcats	33	49	.402	20
13	Atlanta Hawks	30	52	.366	23
14	Milwaukee Bucks	28	54	.341	25
15	Boston Celtics	24	58	.293	29

Record vs. opponents

2006-07 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOK	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	0–4	1–2	2–0	1–2	0–2	1–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–3
Boston	1–3	—	2–2	0–3	1–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–3
Charlotte	3–1	2–2	—	1–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–3	1–1	2–2
Chicago	4–0	3–0	2–1	—	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	0–2	1–3	2–0	3–1	1–2	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	3–1
Cleveland	3–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	—	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–2	1–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–1
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	—	3–1	1–1	0–3	3–1	2–0	2–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–0	4–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	1–2	1–1
Denver	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	—	0–2	3–1	1–2	2–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–1
Detroit	2–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–0	—	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	0–2	2–2
Golden State	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–0	1–3	2–0	—	2–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1
Houston	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–2	—	1–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	3–0	2–2	3–0	1–1	1–3	2–0
Indiana	3–1	3–1	2–1	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	—	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	0–2	0–4	1–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–2	0–3
L.A. Clippers	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–2	1–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–1	—	2–2	3–0	2–0	2–0	1–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–1
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	—	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	1–1	2–1	1–1
Memphis	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–3	2–2	—	0–2	0–2	2–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–3	1–1
Miami	4–0	2–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–2	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	—	2–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–1	2–0	3–1
Milwaukee	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–0	0–2	0–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–2	—	2–0	1–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	2–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–3
Minnesota	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–2	2–2	2–0	2–1	1–3	1–2	0–2	0–2	—	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–1
New Jersey	2–1	2–2	2–1	3–1	1–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–1	1–1	—	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	4–0
New Orleans/Oklahoma City	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–3	1–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–2	1–1
New York	2–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–2	1–1	0–2	1–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	—	2–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–2
Orlando	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–2	—	2–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–0	2–2
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–3
Phoenix	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	3–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	—	4–0	3–1	1–2	2–1	2–0	1–3	1–1
Portland	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–3	1–3	1–1	1–2	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	—	2–2	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–3	0–3	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	—	0–4	2–1	1–1	2–1	0–2
San Antonio	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	2–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	4–0	1–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–1	4–0	4–0	—	4–0	2–0	2–2	2–0
Seattle	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–3	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–2	2–2	1–2	0–4	—	1–1	2–2	0–2
Toronto	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	0–2	3–1
Utah	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	0–2	2–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	—	1–1
Washington	3–1	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	—

2006–07 game log Total: 50–32 (home: 30–11; road: 20–21)
November: 9–6 (home: 7–2; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 1 Washington W 97–94 Larry Hughes (27) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James, Larry Hughes (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–0 2 November 3 @ San Antonio W 88–81 LeBron James (35) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) Eric Snow (6) AT&T Center 18,797 2–0 3 November 4 @ Charlotte L 88–92 Drew Gooden (21) Drew Gooden (16) LeBron James (7) Charlotte Bobcats Arena 19,147 2–1 4 November 7 Atlanta L 95–104 (OT) LeBron James (34) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James, Eric Snow (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 2–2 5 November 9 Chicago W 113–94 Drew Gooden (20) Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) LeBron James (12) Quicken Loans Arena 19,947 3–2 6 November 11 Boston W 94–93 LeBron James (38) Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 4–2 7 November 13 @ New York W 102–96 LeBron James, Damon Jones (29) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James (6) Madison Square Garden 18,468 5–2 8 November 15 Portland W 100–87 LeBron James (32) Donyell Marshall (8) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,096 6–2 9 November 17 Minnesota W 92–76 LeBron James (37) LeBron James, Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 7–2 10 November 18 @ Washington L 99–111 LeBron James (20) Drew Gooden (7) Eric Snow (8) Verizon Center 20,173 7–3 11 November 21 Memphis W 97–94 Drew Gooden (22) Drew Gooden (15) LeBron James (9) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 8–3 12 November 22 @ Toronto L 87–95 LeBron James (30) LeBron James, Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James (8) Air Canada Centre 19,800 8–4 13 November 24 @ Indiana L 87–97 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (5) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,165 8–5 14 November 25 Philadelphia W 108–95 LeBron James (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15) LeBron James (11) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 9–5 15 November 29 New York L 98–101 LeBron James (27) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12) Eric Snow (9) Quicken Loans Arena 20,192 9–6
December : 8–6 (home: 6–1; road: 2–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 December 1 @ Atlanta W 106–95 LeBron James (31) LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Donyell Marshall (7) LeBron James, Eric Snow (8) Philips Arena 19,650 10–6 17 December 2 @ Houston L 63–81 LeBron James (21) Anderson Varejão (9) LeBron James (4) Toyota Center 18,260 10–7 18 December 6 Toronto W 95–91 LeBron James (26) Anderson Varejão (11) LeBron James (10) Quicken Loans Arena 20,119 11–7 19 December 9 Indiana W 107–75 LeBron James (27) Donyell Marshall (17) LeBron James (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 12–7 20 December 11 @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City L 89–95 Anderson Varejão (17) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12) Eric Snow (7) Ford Center 19,164 12–8 21 December 13 Charlotte W 104–101 LeBron James (22) Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James, Eric Snow (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 13–8 22 December 15 Seattle W 106–84 Larry Hughes (25) Anderson Varejão (13) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 14–8 23 December 16 @ Orlando L 74–81 LeBron James (29) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (5) Amway Arena 17,451 14–9 24 December 20 @ New Jersey L 111–113 LeBron James (37) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (8) Continental Airlines Arena 17,270 14–10 25 December 21 Detroit L 71–87 LeBron James (26) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 14–11 26 December 23 Orlando W 86–83 LeBron James (32) Drew Gooden (12) Eric Snow, Damon Jones (4) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 15–11 27 December 27 @ Atlanta W 89–76 LeBron James (27) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) Larry Hughes (4) Philips Arena 19,467 16–11 28 December 29 Milwaukee W 109–99 LeBron James (32) Donyell Marshall, Drew Gooden (10) Eric Snow (10) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 17–11 29 December 30 @ Chicago L 96–103 LeBron James (33) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James, Donyell Marshall, Daniel Gibson, Eric Snow (3) United Center 22,965 17–12
January : 9–7 (home: 3–3; road: 6–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 30 January 2 San Antonio W 82–78 LeBron James (19) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13) LeBron James, Larry Hughes (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,214 18–12 31 January 3 @ Boston W 107–104 LeBron James (32) Drew Gooden (12) Eric Snow (6) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 19–12 32 January 5 @ Milwaukee W 95–86 Drew Gooden (31) Drew Gooden (16) LeBron James (9) Bradley Center 18,717 20–12 33 January 6 New Jersey W 96–91 Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden (21) LeBron James (13) Eric Snow (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 21–12 34 January 9 @ Sacramento W 108–98 LeBron James (34) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James (7) ARCO Arena 17,317 22–12 35 January 11 @ Phoenix L 90–109 LeBron James (34) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) LeBron James (6) US Airways Center 18,422 22–13 36 January 13 @ L. A. Clippers W 104–92 LeBron James (28) Anderson Varejão (12) LeBron James (6) STAPLES Center 20,027 23–13 37 January 16 @ Seattle L 96–101 LeBron James (30) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (8) KeyArena 15,619 23–14 38 January 17 @ Portland L 76–94 LeBron James (23) Anderson Varejão (11) Daniel Gibson (3) Rose Garden Arena 19,228 23–15 39 January 19 @ Denver L 99–110 LeBron James (30) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (10) Pepsi Center 19,155 23–16 40 January 20 @ Golden State W 106–104 (OT) LeBron James (32) Anderson Varejão (12) Eric Snow (11) Oracle Arena 19,864 24–16 41 January 22 Orlando L 79–90 LeBron James (18) Drew Gooden (11) Larry Hughes (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 24–17 42 January 24 Philadelphia L 115–118 (2OT) LeBron James (39) LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James, Anderson Varejão, Eric Snow (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 24–18 43 January 26 @ Philadelphia W 105–97 Drew Gooden (21) Drew Gooden (10) Daniel Gibson (5) Wachovia Center 19,523 25–18 44 January 28 Phoenix L 100–115 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James, Daniel Gibson (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 25–19 45 January 30 Golden State W 124–97 Sasha Pavlovic (24) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) Eric Snow (6) Quicken Loans Arena 19,443 26–19
February : 7–5 (home: 5–2; road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 46 February 1 @ Miami L 89–92 Daniel Gibson (19) Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James (9) AmericanAirlines Arena 20,125 26–20 47 February 2 Charlotte W 101–81 LeBron James (18) Anderson Varejão (13) Sasha Pavlovic (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 27–20 48 February 4 Detroit L 78–90 LeBron James (21) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,140 27–21 49 February 7 L. A. Clippers W 94–77 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sasha Pavlovic (16) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (16) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes (4) Quicken Loans Arena 20,129 28–21 50 February 9 Miami W 103–79 LeBron James (29) Drew Gooden (13) Eric Snow (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 29–21 51 February 11 L. A. Lakers W 99–90 Sasha Pavlovic (21) Drew Gooden (9) Eric Snow (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 30–21 52 February 14 @ Utah L 98–99 Larry Hughes (33) Anderson Varejão (17) Daniel Gibson (5) EnergySolutions Arena 19,911 30–22 53 February 15 @ L. A. Lakers W 114–108 LeBron James (38) Anderson Varejão (11) Eric Snow (5) STAPLES Center 18,997 31–22 54 February 21 @ Toronto W 86–85 LeBron James (29) Anderson Varejão (15) Larry Hughes (5) Air Canada Centre 19,800 32–22 55 February 22 Chicago L 78–84 LeBron James (29) Larry Hughes, Anderson Varejão (8) Eric Snow (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 32–23 56 February 25 @ Miami L 81–86 LeBron James (29) Anderson Varejão (12) LeBron James (7) AmericanAirlines Arena 20,255 32–24 57 February 27 New Orleans/Oklahoma City W 97–89 LeBron James (35) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) LeBron James (8) Quicken Loans Arena 19,619 33–24
March : 11–5 (home: 6–2; road: 5–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 58 March 1 @ Dallas L 92–95 LeBron James (39) Anderson Varejão (12) LeBron James (5) American Airlines Center 20,428 33–25 59 March 3 Toronto W 120–97 LeBron James (36) Anderson Varejão (11) LeBron James (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 34–25 60 March 5 Houston W 91–85 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (12) LeBron James (8) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 35–25 61 March 7 @ Detroit W 101–97 (OT) LeBron James (41) Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) LeBron James (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 36–25 62 March 10 @ Milwaukee W 94–92 LeBron James (32) Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James (9) Bradley Center 18,081 37–25 63 March 11 Indiana W 99–88 LeBron James (26) Drew Gooden (8) Larry Hughes (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 38–25 64 March 13 Sacramento W 124–100 Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden (10) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 39–25 65 March 14 @ Memphis W 118–96 LeBron James (29) Drew Gooden (12) Larry Hughes (6) FedEx Forum 14,561 40–25 66 March 17 Utah W 82–73 LeBron James (24) LeBron James (17) LeBron James (9) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 41–25 67 March 20 @ Charlotte L 100–108 (OT) LeBron James (37) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejão (9) Eric Snow (7) Charlotte Bobcats Arena 17,043 41–26 68 March 21 Dallas L 90–98 LeBron James (31) Drew Gooden (8) Larry Hughes (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 41–27 69 March 23 New York W 90–68 LeBron James (21) Anderson Varejão (7) LeBron James (10) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 42–27 70 March 25 Denver L 93–105 LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (18) Drew Gooden (10) LeBron James (8) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 42–28 71 March 27 @ Indiana W 105–94 LeBron James (26) LeBron James, Eric Snow, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejão (7) LeBron James (6) Conseco Fieldhouse 14,024 43–28 72 March 28 @ New York L 93–97 LeBron James (24) Drew Gooden (7) LeBron James (7) Madison Square Garden 19,763 43–29 73 March 31 @ Chicago W 112–108 (OT) LeBron James (24) Drew Gooden (7) LeBron James (7) United Center 22,960 44–29
April : 6–3 (home: 3–1; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 74 April 1 @ Boston L 96–98 Larry Hughes (24) Anderson Varejão (8) Eric Snow (8) TD Garden 17,204 44–30 75 April 3 @ Minnesota W 101–88 LeBron James (31) Drew Gooden (13) Larry Hughes (10) Target Center 16,118 45–30 76 April 5 Miami L 90–94 (OT) LeBron James (35) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 45–31 77 April 6 @ Washington W 99–94 LeBron James (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8) LeBron James (5) Verizon Center 20,173 46–31 78 April 8 @ Detroit L 82–87 LeBron James (20) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 46–32 79 April 12 New Jersey W 94–76 LeBron James (35) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden (9) Larry Hughes (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 47–32 80 April 14 Atlanta W 110–76 LeBron James (23) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James, Sasha Pavlovic (6) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 48–32 81 April 17 @ Philadelphia W 98–92 Larry Hughes (22) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejão (8) Eric Snow (8) Wachovia Center 17,693 49–32 82 April 18 Milwaukee W 109–96 LeBron James (24) Anderson Varejão (12) LeBron James (9) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 50–32
2006–07 schedule

Playoffs

Main article: 2007 NBA Playoffs

Game log

2007 playoff game log
First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 22 Washington W 97–82 Larry Hughes (27) Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–0 2 April 25 Washington W 109–102 LeBron James (27) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 2–0 3 April 28 @ Washington W 98–92 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (9) Verizon Center 20,173 3–0 4 April 30 @ Washington W 97–90 LeBron James (31) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (19) LeBron James (7) Verizon Center 20,173 4–0
Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 6 New Jersey W 81–77 LeBron James (21) Gooden, Ilgauskas (14) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–0 2 May 8 New Jersey W 102–92 LeBron James (36) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James (12) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 2–0 3 May 12 @ New Jersey L 85–96 Larry Hughes (23) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8) LeBron James (12) Continental Airlines Arena 20,032 2–1 4 May 14 @ New Jersey W 87–85 LeBron James (30) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (7) Continental Airlines Arena 20,032 3–1 5 May 16 New Jersey L 72–83 LeBron James (20) LeBron James (9) LeBron James (5) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 3–2 6 May 18 @ New Jersey W 88–72 LeBron James (23) LeBron James (8) LeBron James (8) Continental Airlines Arena 20,032 4–2
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 21 @ Detroit L 76–79 Zydrunas Ilgauskas (22) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13) LeBron James (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 0–1 2 May 24 @ Detroit L 76–79 LeBron James (19) Anderson Varejão (14) LeBron James (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 0–2 3 May 27 Detroit W 88–82 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (9) LeBron James (9) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–2 4 May 29 Detroit W 91–87 LeBron James (25) Drew Gooden (8) LeBron James (11) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 2–2 5 May 31 @ Detroit W 109–107 (2OT) LeBron James (48) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (16) LeBron James (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 3–2 6 June 2 Detroit W 98–82 Daniel Gibson (31) LeBron James (14) LeBron James (8) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 4–2
NBA Finals: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 7 @ San Antonio L 76–85 Daniel Gibson (16) LeBron James (7) James, Gibson (4) AT&T Center 18,797 0–1 2 June 10 @ San Antonio L 92–103 LeBron James (25) Anderson Varejão (10) LeBron James (6) AT&T Center 18,797 0–2 3 June 12 San Antonio L 72–75 LeBron James (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (18) LeBron James (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 0–3 4 June 14 San Antonio L 82–83 LeBron James (24) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13) LeBron James (10) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 0–4
2007 schedule

First round

A rematch of the previous year's first round series was spoiled when Wizards star Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler were both forced out of the playoffs due to injuries received in the later parts of the regular season. Without Arenas and Butler, the Wizards found themselves unable to stop LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers from sweeping them out of the playoffs. It was Cleveland's first playoff sweep in franchise history.

Eastern Semifinals

The Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1992, while the Nets have lost in the conference semifinals in three out of the last four years.

New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd averaged a triple double the entire playoffs, scoring 14.6 points, grabbing 10.9 rebounds and dishing out 10.9 assists per game.

The Cavaliers also got revenge of sorts, by eliminating the Nets two years after the Nets eliminated them on the final day of the regular season.

Eastern Finals

In a rematch of last year's thrilling second-round series, the Pistons and the Cavaliers matched up in perhaps one of the closest contested series in NBA history, with the first five games being decided by 6 points or less. The spotlight of the series fell on Cleveland's LeBron James. Despite gaining some momentum in the opening games of the series against the experienced Pistons, key last-second decisions by James led to Cleveland losses in Games 1 and 2 in Detroit, by identical scores where Cleveland led for most of the two games. They faced a 0–2 deficit for the second straight year but would easily remember from the year before they could win three straight games to get back into the series.

With media circles on his back for his complacency in these games (James had a playoff career low 10 points in Game 1), LeBron came back to will the Cavs to close victories in Games 3 and 4 in Cleveland, evening the series at 2. The series shifted back to Detroit for a Game 5 that proved to be one of the most memorable postseason games in recent NBA history. In a match that went into double overtime, the Cavaliers stunned the Pistons on their home court, thanks to LeBron James' playoff career-high 48 point performance. James scored the Cavaliers' final 25 points of the game, including all 18 points in overtime making it two straight two-point wins at the Palace in Game 5.

This time around the heavily favored Cavaliers took advantage of their home court in 2007 and exploded in Game 6 to close out the Pistons once and for all, and to clinch the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. Rookie Daniel Gibson scored his career high 31 points including five three-pointers to lift the Cavs in the second half behind a roaring home crowd.

NBA Finals

Main article: 2007 NBA Finals

Game 1

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2007 Finals as newcomers. Game 1 was the first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, and the first for each of its players (other than reserve point guard Eric Snow). However, the San Antonio Spurs had been to the Finals in three of the past eight seasons, winning a championship each time. With solid performances by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili, the Spurs won the series opener in convincing fashion, limiting LeBron James to 14 points on 4–16 shooting.

ABC, ABCHD, TSN, Canal 7, Canal+, ESPN Brasil

June 7 9:00 p.m. ET

1

Cleveland Cavaliers 76, San Antonio Spurs 85
Scoring by quarter: 15–20, 20–20, 14–24, 27–21
Pts: Gibson 16 Rebs: James 7 Asts: James, Gibson 4 each TOs: LeBron James 6		Pts: Parker 27 Rebs: Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 7 Blocks: Tim Duncan 5

AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Ken Mauer, Mike Callahan, Steve Javie

Game 2

The Spurs took a stranglehold on momentum in Game 2. The Spurs big three overwhelmed the Cavs and the Spurs led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter. They absolutely dominated game during first 3 quarters and played show-time basketball. A furious 25–6 rally by Cleveland in the final quarter wasn't enough as the Spurs took a 2–0 lead in the series.

ABC, ABCHD, TSN, Canal 7, Canal+, ESPN Brasil

June 10 9:00 p.m. ET

2

Cleveland Cavaliers 92, San Antonio Spurs 103
Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 16–30, 29–31, 30–14
Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10 Asts: LeBron James 6 TOs: LeBron James 6		Pts: Tony Parker 30 Rebs: Duncan, Horry 9 each Asts: Tim Duncan 8 Blocks: Robert Horry 5

AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Joe Derosa

Game 3

Rookie Daniel Gibson started Game 3 in place of the injured Larry Hughes but scored a series-low 2 points on 1–10 shooting. As a team the Cavs shot only .367 but out-rebounded the Spurs 48–41. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a 2006–07 season high 18 rebounds. On the game's final play, LeBron James missed a potential game-tying 29 foot 3-pointer (which he contested as a foul on Bruce Bowen).

Game 3 was the lowest-scoring Finals game since 1955, with Tim Duncan of the Spurs having his lowest scoring game in his NBA Finals career, with 14 points.

ABC, ABCHD, TSN, Canal 7, Canal+, ESPN Brasil

June 12 9:00 p.m. ET

3

San Antonio Spurs 75, Cleveland Cavaliers 72
Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 24–20, 15–12, 20–22
Pts: Tony Parker 17 Rebs: Duncan, Bowen 9 each Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 Stls: Michael Finley 4		Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Ilgauskas 18 Asts: LeBron James 7 TOs: LeBron James 5
San Antonio leads series 3-0

Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford

Game 4

San Antonio started out strong through the first three quarters, leading by as many as 11. Cleveland would stage a rally near the end of the third quarter and the first five minutes of the fourth, scoring 14 consecutive points to take its first second-half lead of the series. However, the Spurs would stage a 12–3 rally of their own to retake the lead and win the series in a 4–0 sweep.

ABC, ABCHD, TSN, Canal 7, Canal+, ESPN Brasil, Sport 1

June 14 9:00 p.m. ET

4

San Antonio Spurs 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 82
Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 20–14, 21–18, 22–27
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 TOs: Tim Duncan 6		Pts: LeBron James 24 Rebs: Ilgauskas 13 Asts: LeBron James 10 TOs: LeBron James 6
San Antonio wins series 4–0

Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Joe Forte, Eddie F. Rush

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
LeBron James	78	78	40.9	47.6%	69.8%	31.9%	1.60	.71	6.0	6.7	27.3
Larry Hughes	70	68	37.1	40.0%	67.6%	33.3%	1.27	.37	3.7	3.8	14.9
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	78	78	27.3	45.5%	80.7%	0.0%	.62	1.26	1.6	7.7	11.9
Drew Gooden	80	80	28.0	47.3%	71.4%	16.7%	.88	.35	1.1	8.5	11.1
Sasha Pavlović	67	28	22.9	45.3%	79.4%	40.5%	.82	.25	1.6	2.4	9.0
Donyell Marshall	81	0	16.8	42.4%	66.3%	35.1%	.48	.53	.6	4.0	7.0
Anderson Varejão	81	6	21.9	47.6%	61.6%	0.0%	.94	.64	.9	6.7	6.8
Damon Jones	60	0	19.6	38.6%	68.2%	38.5%	.27	.03	1.6	1.1	6.6
Daniel Gibson	60	16	16.5	42.4%	71.8%	41.9%	.38	.13	1.2	1.5	4.6
Eric Snow	82	45	23.5	41.7%	63.7%	0.0%	.67	.20	4.0	2.3	4.2
Shannon Brown	23	5	8.8	37.8%	71.4%	28.0%	.30	.13	.4	.9	3.2
Ira Newble	15	1	8.6	43.2%	60.6%	53.3%	.40	.00	.1	2.0	3.1
David Wesley	35	5	10.1	29.3%	79.4%	23.7%	.34	.11	1.1	1.0	2.1
Scot Pollard	24	0	4.5	42.3%	50.0%	0.0%	.17	.04	.1	1.3	1.0
Dwayne Jones	4	0	4.5	0.0%	50.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.0	1.5	.8

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
LeBron James	20	20	44.7	41.6%	75.5%	28.0%	1.70	.50	8.0	8.1	25.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	20	20	32.5	49.2%	83.8%	0.0%	.45	.80	.9	9.7	12.6
Drew Gooden	20	20	30.3	49.3%	76.9%	0.0%	.50	.45	1.0	8.0	11.4
Larry Hughes	18	18	35.5	34.7%	74.6%	35.2%	1.39	.44	2.4	3.9	11.3
Sasha Pavlović	20	20	30.8	38.1%	52.8%	34.5%	.95	.25	1.6	2.6	9.2
Daniel Gibson	20	2	20.1	43.1%	88.4%	40.9%	.60	.20	1.1	1.6	8.3
Anderson Varejão	20	0	22.4	51.1%	56.3%	0.0%	1.05	.55	.6	6.0	6.0
Donyell Marshall	19	0	10.7	33.3%	63.6%	31.1%	.16	.21	.3	2.2	3.5
Damon Jones	11	0	12.6	30.8%	1.000%	31.8%	.00	.00	1.0	.8	2.4
Eric Snow	19	0	12.8	31.6%	57.1%	0.0%	.58	.11	1.5	1.5	1.7
Ira Newble	6	0	1.7	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.2	.2	0.0
Scot Pollard	3	0	1.0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.0	0.0	0.0
Shannon Brown	1	0	1.0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.0	0.0	0.0

Awards and records

Awards

• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 13 through November 19.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 5 through March 11.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of March, the fifth time he has won the award.
• After the season, LeBron James was named to the All-NBA second team as a forward.

Records

• On November 25, Zydrunas Ilgauskas tied a franchise record for offensive rebounds in a half (10) and in a game (12) in the Cavs' 108–95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
• On December 6, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the all-time offensive rebound leader in Cavs history in a 95–91 win over the Toronto Raptors.
• In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, LeBron James set or tied franchise playoff records for: points in a game (48), points in overtime (9), field goals made and attempted in a game (18, 33) and field goals made in overtime (4).
• In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Daniel Gibson set or tied franchise playoff records for: points in a quarter (19), points in a half (25), rookie points in a game (31) and three-pointers in a half (5).
• With his 19th playoff win, coach Mike Brown set the franchise record for playoff victories.

Milestones

• On December 23, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 7,000 career points (21 years, 359 days).
• In the 2006–07 season, the Cavaliers swept all four California teams for the first time in team history (Golden State, Sacramento, LA Lakers, LA Clippers)
• On March 14, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 8,000 career points (22 years, 74 days).
• On April 6, LeBron James became the 2nd fastest player to record 8,000 points, 2,000 rebounds and 2,000 assists in a career. LeBron did it in 311 games while it took Oscar Robertson 269 games and Michael Jordan 339.
• On April 14, the Cavaliers played the 3,000th game in franchise history

All-Star

• LeBron James led all players in votes received and was voted in as a starter for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. His 2,516,049 votes were the second most in NBA history. He became the first player in team history to lead the league in votes.
• LeBron James led the Eastern Conference All-Stars with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the 132–153 loss.
• Damon Jones participated in the Three Point Contest and finished in 5th place.
• LeBron James participated in the Skills Challenge and finished in 3rd place.

Transactions

Trades

The Cavaliers did not make a trade during the 2006–07 NBA season.

Free agents

The Cavaliers did not sign any free agents during the 2006–07 NBA season.

Development League

• On March 2, Shannon Brown was assigned to the NBDL's Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
• On March 3, Shannon Brown was recalled from the Thunderbirds.
• On March 23, Dwayne Jones was assigned to the Thunderbirds.
• On March 27, Dwayne Jones was recalled from the Thunderbirds.

References

• Cleveland Cavaliers on Database Basketball
• Cleveland Cavaliers on Basketball Reference
• 2006–07 Season Media Guide

External links

• Media related to 2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers season at Wikimedia Commons
• 2006–07 Cavaliers Tribute on YouTube