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When a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers arrived in the 2006 playoffs, the team did so after raising eyebrows in the regular season. The playoff appearance marked the team's first since the 1998 season when they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers. During the regular season, LeBron James impressed, earning All-Star honors for his play.
Despite that, when he and the Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs, where they would play the Washington Wizards, James was nervous. He may not have shown it, however, as a Cleveland native who had high expectations placed on him given the team's playoff drought, the stakes couldn't have been higher.
During a recent episode of he and JJ Redick's Mind the Game podcast, James opened up about his feelings heading into the first playoff series of his career. Although he had been leaving fans and analysts stunned since his high school days and was used to pressure, even James couldn't help but feel nervous.
"I didn't want to lay a egg man, I was what 20 years old got the team to the postseason I didn't want to go out there and s**t the bed, I was maybe 21 maybe but like I didn't want to s**t the bed, first playoff game you know look out there's Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler.
"And those guys they were playing great ball that year, we're inexperienced as hell I didn't want to lay an egg."
Looking at LeBron James' stats in his first NBA playoff game and throughout the 2005-06 playoffs
The 2005-06 season saw the Cleveland Cavaliers end their nearly decade-long playoff drought. As LeBron James mentioned, at the time, the Washington Wizards were fresh off an impressive season.
With standouts like Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, the team racked up 42 regular season wins. Despite that, the Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, managed to win the first-round series 4-2.
In his first playoff game, despite his nerves, LeBron James led the game in scoring with 32 points on 44.4% from the floor. In addition, James also notably dropped a triple-double with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
After beating the Wizards in six games, the team then met the Detroit Pistons in the second round where they lost in a seven-game nail-biter of a series. Despite that, a young LeBron James impressed fans with his play.
Throughout the postseason, James averaged 30.8 points on 47.6% from the field. In addition, he also averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, 5.8 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game, making a difference on both ends of the floor.
The following season, James had improved as a player, while the Cavaliers had also improved their roster. After the experience he gained in his first playoff appearance, he was then able to lead the Cavaliers to the Finals during the 2006-07 season.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Guess the Lakers players!
