2006–07 San Antonio Spurs season

NBA Finals

The 2007 NBA Finals marked the first trip to the championship round for both LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as a franchise. Only reserve point guard Eric Snow had prior Finals experience on the Cleveland roster. Their opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, had already won three titles in the previous eight seasons.

In Game 1, the Spurs’ trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili delivered a commanding performance, holding James to just 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting and securing a convincing win. Game 2 saw the Spurs build a 29-point lead in the third quarter, playing a fast-paced style that overwhelmed the Cavaliers. Cleveland mounted a 25-6 run in the final period, but it fell short, giving San Antonio a 2-0 series advantage.

For Game 3, rookie Daniel Gibson replaced the injured Larry Hughes in the starting lineup but managed only 2 points on 1-of-10 shooting. The Cavaliers shot 36.7 percent as a team yet outrebounded the Spurs 48-41, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas pulling down a season-high 18 boards. On the final possession, James missed a 29-foot three-pointer that he believed was a foul on Bruce Bowen. That game became the lowest-scoring Finals contest since 1955, and Duncan recorded his lowest career Finals scoring output with 14 points.

The Spurs led by as many as 11 points through the first three quarters. Cleveland then scored 14 straight points late in the third and early in the fourth, taking their first lead of the second half in the series. San Antonio answered with a 12-3 run to regain control and close out the series with a 4-0 sweep.