2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season

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2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season
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: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish 7–6, Eastern Conference Semi-finals
Local media
Television FSN Ohio · WUAB
Radio WTAM
< 2004–05 2006–07 >

The 2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 36th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 50–32 record, a second-place finish in the Central Division, and reached the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference. LeBron James was the team's leading scorer and was named to the All-NBA first team.

Key Dates:

  • On June 2, owner Dan Gilbert named Mike Brown the 17th head coach in team history.
  • On June 27, Gilbert named Danny Ferry the 8th general manager in team history.
  • On June 28, the 2005 NBA Draft took place in New York City, New York.
  • In July, the free agency period began.
  • On October 10, the Cavaliers' preseason began with a 116–94 win over Washington.
  • On November 2, the Cavaliers' season began with a 109–87 win over New Orleans.
  • On February 13, the Cavaliers defeated the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.
  • On March 29, the Cavaliers clinched their first playoff berth in seven years.
  • On April 9, the Cavaliers clinched home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
  • On May 5, the Cavs advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.
  • On May 21, the Cavaliers' season ended in a second-round loss to the Detroit Pistons.

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Offseason

Free agents

Additions
Player Date Former team
Larry Hughes August 4 Washington Wizards
Donyell Marshall August 4 Toronto Raptors
Damon Jones September 8 Miami Heat
Zydrunas Ilgauskas September 13 Cleveland Cavaliers
Alan Henderson September 17 Dallas Mavericks
Zendon Hamilton September 30 Milwaukee Bucks
Mike Wilks September 30 San Antonio Spurs
Subtractions
Player Date New team
Scott Williams April 15 Retired
Robert Traylor June 15 Gestibérica Vigo
Lucious Harris June 16 Free Agent
Jeff McInnis August 11 New Jersey Nets
Desagana Diop August 19 Dallas Mavericks
Dajuan Wagner Free Agent
Jerome Moiso Lottomatica Roma

Trades

June 28, 2005
To Cleveland Cavaliers
2006 2nd round draft pick
To Milwaukee Bucks
Jiri Welsch
June 29, 2005
To Cleveland Cavaliers
Rights to Martynas Andriuskevicius
To Orlando Magic
2006 2nd round draft pick and cash

Draft picks

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Cleveland did not have a draft pick in the 2005 NBA Draft due to trades from previous seasons.

Roster

2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
C 15 Lithuania Andriuskevicius, Martynas 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Lithuania
PF 90 United States Gooden, Drew 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Kansas
SF 1 United States Graham, Stephen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oklahoma State
C 44 United States Henderson, Alan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Indiana
SG 32 United States Hughes, Larry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Saint Louis
C 11 Lithuania Ilgauskas, Zydrunas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Lithuania
SG 33 United States Jackson, Luke 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oregon
SF 23 United States James, LeBron 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) St. Vincent-St. Mary's
PG 19 United States Jones, Damon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Houston
PF 24 United States Marshall, Donyell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Connecticut
SG 2 United States Murray, Ronald 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Shaw
SF 14 United States Newble, Ira 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Miami (OH)
SG 3 Serbia Pavlović, Aleksandar 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Serbia
PG 20 United States Snow, Eric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Michigan State
PF 17 Brazil Varejão, Anderson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Brazil
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench Reserve
C Žydrūnas Ilgauskas Anderson Varejão Martynas Andriuskevicius
PF Drew Gooden Donyell Marshall Alan Henderson
SF LeBron James Sasha Pavlović Stephen Graham/Ira Newble
SG Larry Hughes Flip Murray Luke Jackson
PG Eric Snow Damon Jones -----

Player salaries

Rank Player Salary
1 Larry Hughes $10,344,900
2 Zydrunas Ilgauskas $8,740,000
3 Eric Snow $5,484,375
4 Donyell Marshall $4,799,108
5 LeBron James $4,621,800
6 Drew Gooden $4,065,811
7 Damon Jones $3,590,000
8 Ira Newble $2,950,200
9 Luke Jackson $1,955,160
10 Sasha Pavlović $1,274,160
11 Alan Henderson $1,138,500
12 Flip Murray $895,248
13 Anderson Varejão $866,800
14 Martynas Andriuskevicius $398,762
15 Stephen Graham $259,204

Regular season

Standings

Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 64 18 .780 - 37–4 27–14 13–3
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 50 32 .610 14 31–10 19–22 11–5
x-Indiana Pacers 41 41 .500 23 27–14 14–27 6–10
x-Chicago Bulls 41 41 .500 23 21–20 20–21 4–12
x-Milwaukee Bucks 40 42 .488 24 25–16 15–26 6–10


Eastern Conference
# Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Detroit Pistons 64 18 .780 -
2 y-Miami Heat 52 30 .634 12
3 y-New Jersey Nets 49 33 .598 15
4 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 50 32 .610 14
5 x-Washington Wizards 42 40 .512 22
6 x-Indiana Pacers 41 41 .500 23
7 x-Chicago Bulls 41 41 .500 23
8 x-Milwaukee Bucks 40 42 .488 24
9 Philadelphia 76ers 38 44 .463 26
10 Orlando Magic 36 46 .439 28
11 Boston Celtics 33 49 .402 31
12 Toronto Raptors 27 55 .329 37
13 Charlotte Bobcats 26 56 .317 38
14 Atlanta Hawks 26 56 .317 38
15 New York Knicks 23 59 .280 41

Game log

November

Record: 10–4; Home: 7–1; Road: 3–3

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
1 November 2, 2005 Hornets 87–109 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (31) 20,562 1–0
2 November 4, 2005 Cavaliers 76–102 Spurs NA LeBron James (20) 18,797 1–1
3 November 5, 2005 Cavaliers 106–113 Grizzlies NA LeBron James (36) 17,368 1–2
4 November 7, 2005 Cavaliers 105–93 Raptors NA LeBron James (27) 18,281 2–2
5 November 9, 2005 SuperSonics 85–112 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (31) 19,564 3–2
6 November 11, 2005 Grizzlies 70–89 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (16) 4–2
7 November 13, 2005 Cavaliers 108–100 Magic 1 LeBron James (26) 5–2
8 November 15, 2005 Wizards 99–114 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (37) 6–2
9 November 18, 2005 Magic 84–102 Cavaliers NA Zydrunas Ilgauskas (22) 7–2
10 November 19, 2005 Cavaliers 123–120 Sixers NA Larry Hughes (37) 8–2
11 November 22, 2005 Celtics 93–115 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (36) 9–2
12 November 24, 2005 Cavaliers 76–98 Pacers NA LeBron James (19) 9–3
13 November 26, 2005 Timberwolves 89–85 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (38) 9–4
14 November 30, 2005 Clippers 105–112 Cavaliers 1 Zydrunas Ilgauskas (29) 10–4

December

Record: 8–6; Home: 6–2; Road: 2–4

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
15 December 2, 2005 Cavaliers 108–115 SuperSonics NA LeBron James (34) 10–5
16 December 3, 2005 Cavaliers 90–102 Clippers NA LeBron James (30) 10–6
17 December 6, 2005 Cavaliers 102–97 Kings NA LeBron James (30) 11–6
18 December 9, 2005 Nets 109–100 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (32) 11–7
19 December 10, 2005 Cavaliers 106–111 Bucks NA LeBron James (52) 11–8
20 December 13, 2005 Hawks 100–94 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (39) 11–9
21 December 15, 2005 Nuggets 85–94 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (26) 12–9
22 December 17, 2005 Heat 107–115 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (41) 13–9
23 December 20, 2005 Jazz 85–110 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (25) 14–9
24 December 22, 2005 Cavaliers 108–100 Bulls NA LeBron James (37) 15–9
25 December 23, 2005 Pacers 89–94 Cavaliers NA Drew Gooden (21) 16–9
26 December 26, 2005 Bulls 91–102 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (32) 17–9
27 December 27, 2005 Cavaliers 91–96 Nets NA LeBron James (31) 17–10
28 December 31, 2005 Pistons 84–97 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (30) 18–10

January

Record: 8–7; Home: 3–2; Road: 5–5

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
29 January 4, 2006 Cavaliers 91–84 Bucks NA LeBron James (32) 19–10
30 January 5, 2006 Rockets 90–81 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (32) 19–11
31 January 7, 2006 Bucks 88–96 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (35) 20–11
32 January 10, 2006 Knicks 92–84 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (36) 20–12
33 January 12, 2006 Cavaliers 98–99 Lakers NA Zydrunas Ilgauskas (29) 20–13
34 January 14, 2006 Cavaliers 106–115 Suns NA LeBron James (46) 20–14
35 January 15, 2006 Cavaliers 87–89 Trail Blazers NA LeBron James (29) 20–15
36 January 18, 2006 Cavaliers 89–90 Nuggets NA LeBron James (24) 20–16
37 January 20, 2006 Cavaliers 79–99 Warriors NA Drew Gooden (16) 20–17
38 January 21, 2006 Cavaliers 108–90 Jazz NA LeBron James (51) 21–17
39 January 24, 2006 Pacers 66–96 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (23) 22–17
40 January 25, 2006 Cavaliers 106–97 Hawks NA LeBron James (38) 23–17
41 January 27, 2006 Cavaliers 93–89 Pacers NA LeBron James (30) 24–17
42 January 29, 2006 Suns 106–113 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (44) 25–17
43 January 30, 2006 Cavaliers 103–91 Bobcats NA LeBron James (30) 26–17

February

Record: 6–8; Home: 4–4; Road: 2–4

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
44 February 1, 2006 Nets 85–91 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (26) 27–17
45 February 2, 2006 Cavaliers 73–101 Heat NA LeBron James (29) 27–18
46 February 4, 2006 Sixers 100–95 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (31) 27–19
47 February 6, 2006 Bucks 86–89 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (22) 28–19
48 February 8, 2006 Cavaliers 97–91 Timberwolves NA LeBron James (35) 29–19
49 February 10, 2006 Cavaliers 89–101 Wizards NA LeBron James (18) 29–20
50 February 11, 2006 Warriors 99–91 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (33) 29–21
51 February 13, 2006 Spurs 87–101 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (44) 30–21
52 February 15, 2006 Cavaliers 113–109 Celtics 2 LeBron James (43) 31–21
53 February 21, 2006 Magic 92–105 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (26) 32–21
54 February 22, 2006 Cavaliers 107–116 Sixers NA LeBron James (33) 32–22
55 February 24, 2006 Wizards 102–94 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (25) 32–23
56 February 26, 2006 Cavaliers 78–90 Pistons NA LeBron James (22) 32–24
57 February 27, 2006 Pistons 84–72 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (26) 32–25

March

Record: 10–4; Home: 7–1; Road: 3–3

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
58 March 1, 2006 Kings 97–90 Cavaliers NA Three-way tie (19) 32–26
59 March 2, 2006 Cavaliers 92–91 Bulls NA LeBron James (33) 33–26
60 March 5, 2006 Bulls 72–91 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (37) 34–26
61 March 7, 2006 Raptors 99–106 Cavaliers NA Ronald Murray (24) 35–26
62 March 8, 2006 Cavaliers 98–97 Raptors NA LeBron James (35) 36–26
63 March 10, 2006 Cavaliers 73–102 Magic NA LeBron James (25) 36–27
64 March 12, 2006 Cavaliers 92–98 Heat NA LeBron James (47) 36–28
65 March 14, 2006 Cavaliers 87–91 Mavericks NA LeBron James (36) 36–29
66 March 17, 2006 Trail Blazers 84–99 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (27) 37–29
67 March 19, 2006 Lakers 95–96 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (29) 38–29
68 March 22, 2006 Bobcats 118–120 Cavaliers 1 LeBron James (37) 39–29
69 March 24, 2006 Celtics 82–94 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (36) 40–29
70 March 26, 2006 Cavaliers 104–102 Rockets 1 LeBron James (36) 41–29
71 March 29, 2006 Mavericks 94–107 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (46) 42–29

April

Record: 8–3; Home: 4–0; Road: 4–3

# Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record
72 April 1, 2006 Heat 99–106 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (47) 43–29
73 April 2, 2006 Cavaliers 101–97 Bobcats NA LeBron James (35) 44–29
74 April 4, 2006 Sixers 91–124 Cavaliers NA LeBron James (37) 45–29
75 April 5, 2006 Cavaliers 94–96 Knicks NA LeBron James (36) 45–30
76 April 8, 2006 Cavaliers 108–102 Nets NA LeBron James (37) 46–30
77 April 10, 2006 Cavaliers 103–101 Hornets NA LeBron James (32) 47–30
78 April 12, 2006 Cavaliers 73–96 Pistons NA LeBron James (22) 47–31
79 April 13, 2006 Knicks 87–91 Cavaliers NA Larry Hughes (26) 48–31
80 April 16, 2006 Cavaliers 92–104 Wizards NA LeBron James (17) 48–32
81 April 17, 2006 Cavaliers 93–88 Celtics NA Larry Hughes (21) 49–32
82 April 19, 2006 Hawks 99–100 Cavaliers NA Ronald Murray (19) 50–32
  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red background indicates loss.
2005–06 game log
Total: 50–32 (Home: 30–11; Road: 20–21)
2005–06 season schedule

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; GS = Games started; MIN= Minutes; FG% = field goal %, FT% = free throw %, 3FG% = 3 point % STL= Steals; BLK = Blocks; AST = Assists; REB = Rebounds; PTS = Points

Regular Season

Player GP GS MIN FG% FT% 3FG% STL BLK AST REB PTS
LeBron James 79 79 42.5 48.0% 73.8% 33.5% 1.56 .84 6.6 7.0 31.4
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 78 78 29.3 50.6% 83.4% 0.0% .49 1.74 1.2 7.6 15.6
Larry Hughes 36 31 35.6 40.9% 75.6% 36.8% 1.47 .58 3.6 4.5 15.5
Flip Murray 28 25 36.7 44.8% 70.2% 30.8% 1.36 .25 2.8 2.4 13.5
Drew Gooden 79 79 27.5 51.2% 68.2% 33.3% .66 .62 .7 8.4 10.7
Donyell Marshall 81 0 25.6 39.5% 74.8% 32.4% .73 .51 .7 6.1 9.3
Damon Jones 82 7 25.5 38.7% 64.0% 37.7% .45 .01 2.1 1.6 6.7
Eric Snow 82 0 28.8 40.9% 68.8% 10.0% .93 .23 4.2 2.4 4.8
Anderson Varejão 48 4 15.8 52.7% 51.3% 0.0% .65 .40 .4 4.9 4.6
Sasha Pavlović 53 19 15.3 41.0% 65.3% 36.5% .36 .11 .5 1.5 4.5
Stephen Graham 13 0 9.0 42.4% 88.9% 0.0% .23 .15 .2 1.3 2.8
Luke Jackson 36 0 8.8 34.1% 78.8% 33.3% .31 .06 .7 1.1 2.7
Alan Henderson 51 3 10.4 51.6% 67.3% 0.0% .18 .24 .2 2.7 2.5
Zendon Hamilton 11 0 4.2 53.8% 68.8% 0.0% .03 .00 .0 1.0 2.3
Ira Newble 36 3 9.8 29.3% 68.8% 23.1% .14 .28 .3 1.6 1.3
Mike Wilks 37 0 6.6 28.8% 50.0% 14.3% .02 .00 .5 .7 1.1
Martynas Andriuskevicius 6 0 1.5 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% .33 .00 .0 .7 0.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MIN FG% FT% 3FG% STL BLK AST REB PTS
LeBron James 13 13 46.5 47.6% 73.7% 33.3% 1.38 .69 5.8 8.1 30.8
Larry Hughes 9 8 37.3 31.9% 74.2% 27.8% 2.20 .11 4.0 3.0 11.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13 13 27.2 45.4% 75.0% 0.0% .38 2.08 .8 6.3 10.4
Donyell Marshall 13 0 26.5 43.3% 88.2% 39.1% .54 .69 .6 5.6 9.5
Drew Gooden 13 13 21.7 52.9% 94.4% 0.0% .23 .15 .6 7.5 8.2
Flip Murray 13 5 30.7 33.0% 81.3% 20.8% .69 .15 1.6 3.2 8.1
Anderson Varejão 13 0 18.3 62.0% 70.3% 0.0% .69 .15 .2 4.5 6.8
Eric Snow 13 13 31.4 42.0% 75.9% 0.0% .85 .23 2.8 3.3 6.6
Damon Jones 13 0 13.9 30.8% 75.0% 27.8% .15 .00 .9 1.2 1.8
Ira Newble 5 0 2.2 1.000% 0.0% 1.000% .20 .00 .0 .4 1.4
Alan Henderson 2 0 4.5 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% .00 .00 .0 1.0 0.0
Sasha Pavlović 3 0 1.3 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% .00 .00 .0 .3 0.0

Awards and records

Awards

  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 14 through November 20.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from January 24 through January 30.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 14 through March 20.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 21 through March 27.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 27 through April 2. He became the first player in NBA history to win the award three consecutive weeks.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of November, the third time he has won the award.
  • LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of March, the fourth time he has won the award.
  • LeBron James was named to the All-NBA first team. James is the youngest first-teamer in NBA history and only the second Cavalier (Mark Price) to receive the honors.
  • LeBron James finished in 2nd place in league MVP voting (Steve Nash).

Records

  • On November 19, vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Hughes (37) and LeBron James (36) became the first two teammates in franchise history to score 35 points or more in the same game.
  • LeBron James set the franchise single-season record for points with 2,478.
  • LeBron James set other franchise records for: scoring average (31.4), field goals made (875), field goals attempted (1873), free throws made (601), and free throws attempted (841).
  • LeBron James set the franchise record for points in a single postseason with 400.
  • In Game 6 of the Washington Wizards First Round series, the team set a franchise record for bench points with 57.
  • LeBron James set the franchise record for points in a single postseason series with 214.
  • Mike Brown became the first coach in franchise history to win a playoff series in his first year.
  • For the season, LeBron James led the team in scoring for a game 72 times, a franchise record.
  • The Cavaliers finished the season 5–0 in overtime games, a franchise record for wins and %.

Milestones

  • On November 13, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 4,000 career points (20 years, 318 days).
  • On January 21, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 5,000 career points (21 years, 22 days).
  • On March 29, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 6,000 career points (21 years, 89 days).
  • On April 13, Mike Brown won his 48th game as head coach, the most by a rookie coach in franchise history.
  • For the season, LeBron James made 19/29 field goals attempts in the last two minutes of a one-possession game. He led the league in that statistic.

All-Star

  • LeBron James came in third in Eastern Conference votes received and was voted in as a starter for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game for the 2nd time in his career. He became the first Cavalier in team history to start multiple All-Star games and the 7th to play in multiple games.
  • LeBron James became the youngest All-Star Game MVP in NBA history with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the East's 122–120 win.
  • LeBron James participated in the Skills Challenge and finished in 2nd place.
  • LeBron James led his team in points, rebounds and assists in a game 16 times, a league-high.

Transactions

Trades

February 23, 2006
To Cleveland Cavaliers
Flip Murray
To Seattle SuperSonics
Mike Wilks and cash considerations
February 23, 2006
To Cleveland Cavaliers
Lee Nailon and a 2nd round pick
To Philadelphia 76ers
2nd round pick

Free Agents

Additions
Player Date Former team
Zendon Hamilton* January 10 Cleveland Cavaliers
Stephen Graham** February 24 Chicago Bulls
Subtractions
Player Date New team
Zendon Hamilton* January 5 Free agent
Zendon Hamilton* January 30 Philadelphia 76ers
Lee Nailon*** February 24 Philadelphia 76ers

*Waived by team mid-season and later re-signed to two 10-day contracts.
**Signed to two successive 10-day contracts and then the remainder of the season.
***Traded for and then immediately waived before playing in a game.

Development League

  • On January 22, Martynas Andriuskevicius was assigned to the NBDL's Arkansas Rimrockers.
  • On February 1, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.
  • On March 2, Martynas Andriuskevicius was reassigned to the Rimrockers.
  • On March 6, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.
  • On March 16, Martynas Andriuskevicius was reassigned to the Rimrockers.
  • On April 12, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.

Playoffs

2006 playoff game log
2005–06 season schedule

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First round

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Game Date Visitor Score Home Score Record

(CLE-WAS)

Venue TV Time Recap
1 April 22 Washington 86 Cleveland 97 1–0 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC 3:00et 1
2 April 25 Washington 89 Cleveland 84 1–1 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT 7:00et 2
3 April 28 Cleveland 97 Washington 96 2–1 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. ESPN 8:00et 3
4 April 30 Cleveland 96 Washington 106 2–2 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. TNT 8:00et 4
5* May 3 Washington 120 Cleveland 121 3–2 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT 8:30et 5
6* May 5 Cleveland 114 Washington 113 4–2 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. ESPN 8:00et 6
Cleveland wins series 4–2

*Required overtime

Eastern Semi-finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

Game Date Visitor Score Home Score Record

(DET-CLE)

Venue TV Time Recap
1 May 7 Cleveland 86 Detroit 113 1–0 Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 3:30et 1
2 May 9 Cleveland 91 Detroit 97 2–0 Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT 7:00et 2
3 May 13 Detroit 77 Cleveland 86 2–1 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN 5:00et 3
4 May 15 Detroit 72 Cleveland 74 2–2 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT 7:00et 4
5 May 17 Cleveland 86 Detroit 84 2–3 Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT 7:00et 5
6 May 19 Detroit 84 Cleveland 82 3–3 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN 7:00et 6
7 May 21 Cleveland 61 Detroit 79 4–3 Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 3:30et 7
Detroit wins series 4–3

2006 marked the first time LeBron James made the playoffs in his career, and the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp. They came off a playoff series win vs the Wizards, while the Pistons came in off a 4–1 win vs the 8th seeded Bucks. Detroit was expected to win the series, and took a commanding two games to none lead with two wins at the Palace of Auburn Hills. James and the Cavaliers would not be intimidated however, and won their two games at home to tie the series 2–2. Coming into game 5, both teams were confident, but the Pistons were expected to pull out the win easily. The game was low scoring throughout as usual in this series, with Cleveland holding a 68 to 66 lead throughout 3 quarters. With the game tied at 84 with 26 seconds left in regulation, Drew Gooden came through and hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead that they would never squander. James led the Cavs with 32 and this brought the series to Cleveland up 3–2, quite shockingly. Detroit held on to a 2-point win to win game 6, and won game 7 at home to seal the deal, but this was the coming out party for the Cavaliers in the playoffs, scaring the 2004 champs.

References

  1. Charlotte receive Cleveland's 2005 (unconditional) first-round pick (taking Jahidi White 062204) via Phoenix receives future Cleveland first-round pick (lottery protected) Wesley Person trade 100197) – The Bobcats gained Cleveland's first-round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft (without condition). When Charlotte acquired a first-round pick from Phoenix on June 22 through the expansion selection, the Cavaliers were permitted to keep the pick if it fell within certain draft positions. With their trade for Jiri Welsh, Cleveland was forced to remove all restrictions on the '05 pick, giving the selection to the Bobcats. http://www.nbadraft.net/2005draftnotes.asp
  2. Tony Battie and two future 2nd round picks traded to Orlando for Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter and the rights to Anderson Varejão http://www.nbadraft.net/2005draftnotes.asp