LeBron James is a dominant scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. James led the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers to NBA titles.
Credit: © Steve Dykes, Getty Images

The King! The GOAT (greatest of all time)! The best in NBA history! Lebron James claimed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most regular-season points scored in a player’s career on February 7, 2023. He secured the record playing for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Abdul-Jabbar recorded 38,387 points in his career. James has put up 38,388 points since he started in the NBA in 2003. That is more points than how many miles it is to travel around the world 1.5 times!

Lebron James is a star forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). James stands 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms). His unusual combination of speed and power makes James one of the most unique and gifted players in NBA history. James is an outstanding scorer, playmaker, and defensive player. He was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013 seasons.

LeBron Raymone James was born on Dec. 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He gained a national reputation while playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected James as the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2003-2004 season. In the 2006-2007 season, James led Cleveland to the team’s first conference championship in franchise history. James led the NBA in scoring for the 2007-2008 regular season with a 30-point average.

LeBron James scores a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Miami Heat’s victory in the fifth and final game of the 2012 NBA finals. James was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series.
Credit: © Rhona Wise, EPA/Alamy Images

James signed with the Miami Heat after the 2009-2010 season. He helped Miami reach the NBA finals in 2010-2011 and 2013-2014. He led the team to the NBA championship in 2011-2012 and again in 2012-2013. He was a member of United States national teams that won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Summer Games. Following the 2013-2014 season, James rejoined Cleveland. He led the Cavaliers to the NBA finals four straight seasons, from 2014-2015 through 2017-2018, winning the NBA championship in 2015-2016. James joined the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2017-2018 season. He led the league in assists during the 2019-2020 season and led the Lakers to the NBA championship.

James and his high school teammates were the subjects of the documentary More Than a Game (2009). James wrote a memoir, Shooting Stars (2009), about his basketball career. He also wrote the inspirational children’s picture book I Promise (illustrated by Nina Mata, 2020). The book is related to the goals of the I Promise School, a public school for struggling students that the LeBron James Family Foundation opened in Akron. James has also worked as a producer, actor, and voice actor for a number of television and film projects. Such projects include the motion picture Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić protects the basketball in a game against the Washington Wizards.
Credit: © Tony Quinn, Sipa USA/Alamy Images

On Tuesday, December 27th, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić did not disappoint. He scored the highest stats in a triple-double in NBA history, scoring 60 points, grabbing 21 rebounds, and setting up 10 assists against the New York Knicks. Those are high numbers! This combination of double digits in points, rebounds, and assists is called a triple-double in basketball. Dončić joins Philadelphia 76ers player James Harden as the only player who has reached a 60-point triple-double in NBA history. Dončić stands 6 feet 7 inches (201 centimeters) in height. Born in the southern European nation of Slovenia, Dončić has gained attention for his advanced playmaking skills since he was a boy.

Dončić was born on Feb. 28, 1999, in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. His father, Saša (Sasha), played professional basketball for 18 seasons and later became a coach. At Ljubljana’s Olimpija Basketball School, young Luka regularly dominated games playing against boys a few years older.

In 2012, at the age of 13, he joined the basketball academy for the Real Madrid professional team in Spain. He started playing for Real Madrid’s top-level team in 2015. In 2017, Dončić helped lead the Slovenian national team to its first victory in the European Basketball Championship, a competition also known as EuroBasket. In both 2017 and 2018, he won the Rising Star award in Spain’s ACB professional league. In 2018, Dončić helped lead Real Madrid to the Euroleague championship. He was named the Most Valuable Player of both the league and its championship tournament.

In 2018, the Atlanta Hawks selected Dončić with the third pick in the NBA Draft. Under a prearranged agreement, the Hawks immediately traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the fifth pick—guard Trae Young—and a future draft pick. During the 2018-2019 NBA season, Dončić averaged about 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Dončić increased his scoring, rebounding, and assist averages in his second season and was named a starter in the 2020 All-Star game.

Bill Russell, number 6, was one of the leading rebounders in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Russell played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969. As player-coach of the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, he became the first African American head coach in major league professional sports.
Credit: © Bettmann/Getty Images

Legendary basketball player Bill Russell passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88 years old. Russell won 11 league championships with the Boston Celtics. His awe-inspiring career, bold civil rights activism, and dedication to the sport prompted the National Basketball Association to retire number six, marking the third number to be retired leaguewide in all American sports. NBA players who currently wear number 6, like Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, may continue wearing the number, but can also choose to switch numbers. Russell joins the ranks of NHL hockey player Wayne Gretzky (99) and MLB baseball player Jackie Robinson (42). Russell’s number will be the first number retired leaguewide in the NBA.

Russell became one of the finest defensive players in basketball history. A 6-foot-10-inch (208-centimeter) center for the Boston Celtics, Russell became a master at blocking shots and rebounding. He ranks second only to Wilt Chamberlain among the leading rebounders in the history of the NBA.

William Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. He helped lead the University of San Francisco to win 57 of 58 games during the 1954-1955 and 1955-1956 seasons. Russell joined the Celtics in the 1956-1957 season and helped lead the team to 11 NBA championships in the 13 years he played.

Russell walked with Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Four years later, he stood up alongside football player Jim Brown and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in support of boxer Muhammad Ali who faced criticism for not fighting in the Vietnam War. He also supported the movement against segregation in Boston schools. Russell continually stood up for himself and his Black teammates even when was unpopular in the league.

Russell served as player-coach of the Celtics from 1966 to 1969. He was the first African American head coach in major league professional sports. Russell retired as a player in 1969. He served as general manager and coach of the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA from 1973 to 1977. He coached the Sacramento Kings of the NBA from 1987 to 1988, and served as a vice president for the team in 1988 and 1989.

Russell was a TV sports commentator between coaching assignments. He discussed his life and his views on basketball in Go Up for Glory (1970), Second Wind (1979), and Red and Me (2009). In 2011, Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons during the NBA London Game 2018 at the O2 Arena, London.
Credit: © Simon Cooper, PA Wire/Alamy Images

Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.

Ben Simmons is an Australian professional basketball player. Though he showed talent in many sports, Simmons came to the United States in high school to excel in basketball. He is now a talented guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Simmons became the second-fastest player in the league to make 1,000 assists, 2,000 points, and 1,000 rebounds. He also ranks among the league’s tallest point guards at 6 feet 10 inches (208 centimeters). That is taller than the average door! Can you imagine ducking every time you walk into a room?

Simmons has played for the Philadelphia 76ers since the start of his professional career. He is known for his outstanding passing and defense. Simmons won the Rookie of the Year award for his play in the 2017-2018 NBA season. In 2019, he became the first Australian selected for the NBA’s All-Star game. He was again named an All-Star in 2020 and 2021.

Benjamin David Simmons was born in Melbourne, Australia, on July 20, 1996. His father, Dave Simmons, was an American who starred in Australia’s National Basketball League. As a youth, Ben gained notice for his skill in rugby and Australian Rules football, as well as basketball. In 2012, his Australia team finished second in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-17 World Championship. The following year, Simmons moved to Florida to complete high school and play against elite competition. He starred at Louisiana State University during the 2015-2016 college season. The 76ers selected him as the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Soon after being drafted, Simmons broke a bone in his foot, forcing him to miss the 2016-2017 NBA season. During his debut 2017-2018 season, he averaged about 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. Simmons was selected to his first NBA All-Star Team for his play in the 2018-2019 season. He led the league in steals per game during the 2019-2020 season and was named to the All-Defensive First Team.

January 28, 2020

Two days ago, on Sunday, January 26, the former National Basketball Association (NBA) star Kobe Bryant was killed along with his 13-year old daughter and seven other people in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, near Los Angeles. The helicopter had been carrying the passengers to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Newbury Park. The United States Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, but the helicopter went down in foggy conditions that had grounded some other air traffic in the area. Bryant, who starred for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016, was 41 years old.

Kobe Bryant (with the ball) eludes a Phoenix Suns defender during the NBA playoffs on May 4, 2006, in Los Angeles. Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. credit: © NBAE/Getty Images

Bryant, a 6 foot 6 inch- (198 centimeter-) tall shooting guard, is considered one of the best players in NBA history. During his career, he helped lead the Lakers to five NBA championships, made 18 All-Star teams, was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times, and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2007-2008 season. Bryant led the league in scoring twice (2005-2006 and 2006-2007) and retired with 33,643 points–the fourth most in NBA history. On Jan. 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points in one game, the second highest total in NBA history behind the 100 points scored in a game by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. Bryant also starred on U.S. national basketball teams that won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Bryant was born in Philadelphia on Aug. 23, 1978. His father, Joe Bryant, played in the NBA from 1975 through 1983. Kobe was drafted directly out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. At 17, he was the youngest player ever drafted into the NBA. Charlotte selected Bryant as the 13th pick and then traded his rights to Los Angeles.

Bryant was in his first year of eligibility for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, and he is sure to be part of the new class when it is announced in early April.

June 19, 2019

Last week, on June 13, the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to win the team’s first NBA championship. The Raptors won the best-of-seven finals four games to two. Raptors stars Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and an underrated supporting team overcame Stephen Curry and his two-time defending champion Warriors to bring the first-ever NBA championship to Canada. The Raptors team, with its “We the North” slogan, celebrated the Canadian coup with nearly 2 million fans at a Toronto parade on June 17.

Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors lobs a shot over Golden State defenders during the sixth and deciding game of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on June 13, 2019, in Oakland, California. Credit: © Kyle Terada, Getty Images

The Warriors, one-time heavy favorites to “three-peat” (repeat a third time) as champions, played most of the finals without the nine-time All-NBA forward Kevin Durant. (A calf injury limited Durant to just 12 minutes before a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his postseason). The Warriors also lost the star shooting guard Klay Thompson to a hamstring injury in game three and a torn knee ligament in game six. Curry and teammates Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala failed to muster enough offense to keep up with the hungry Raptors, who delivered big plays in the series’s final moments.

The Raptors began the 2018-2019 season with high hopes, having acquired the top forward Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade involving longtime Raptors swingman (multi-position player) DeMar DeRozan last July. Toronto also netted the steady shooter and defender Danny Green in the transaction, and they picked up the center Marc Gasol in a deal with Memphis this February. The emergence of the rangy third-year forward Pascal Siakam gave the Raptors star power at every position.

Toronto finished the regular season with a 58-24 record, good for second in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic in five games in the first round of the playoffs. The team then topped the Philadelphia 76ers in a hard-fought seven-game series. Toronto overcame a two-games-to-none deficit against top-seeded Milwaukee and its towering superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, sweeping the last four games to close out the conference finals.

The Warriors, the most storied NBA dynasty since Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers and Michael Jordan’s  Chicago Bulls, finished 57-25 in the regular season, tops in the Western Conference. In the opening playoff round, the Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in a tough series that went six games. In Golden State’s second-round match up against the Houston Rockets, Durant exited after a game five calf strain. The Warriors still prevailed, however, and went on to sweep the upstart Portland Trail Blazers in the conference finals.

In game one of the finals in Toronto, the Raptors thrilled the home fans with a 118-109 victory over the Warriors—the first-ever NBA Finals game played in Canada. (The Raptors entered the league as an expansion team for the 1995-1996 season, and this was the team’s first finals. The only other Canadian NBA team, the Vancouver Grizzlies, never made the finals before moving to Memphis.) Toronto looked strong through halftime of game two, but the Warriors outscored the Raptors 34-21 in the third quarter and held on to win, evening the series at a game a piece.

The series continued on Golden State’s home court in Oakland, where the Raptors showed themselves to be the more complete team. Toronto won game three 123-109 and game four 105-92. Back in Toronto for game five, the Warriors overcame Durant’s postseason-ending injury, winning a tight 106-105 contest. In game six, Toronto stormed back after Klay Thompson’s injury, and Leonard, Lowry, and Siakam, together with the reserves Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet, proved invincible down the stretch. Leonard—who averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game in the series—won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. The award was Leonard’s second; he earned finals MVP honors in 2014 as a member of the champion Spurs.

Finals game six was the last the Warriors will play in Oakland’s Oracle Arena, which first hosted games as Oakland-Alameda County Arena in 1966. Warriors fans enjoyed championship teams at the venue in 1975 and again during the team’s recent dominance in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Beginning next season, the Warriors will play their home games at the new $1.4-billion Chase Center across the bay in San Francisco.

June 15, 2018

On June 8, 2018, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and the Golden State Warriors took down LeBron James and his overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 to capture a second straight National Basketball Association (NBA) title. (Golden State owns three of the last four NBA crowns.) The team’s win last Friday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, completed a four-game sweep in the best-of-seven series. Curry broke the Cavs’ collective will with 37 points in the final game to bring the series—and the season—to a predictable conclusion.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers during game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 8, 2018. Credit: © Kyle Terada, Getty Images

This year’s NBA Finals had megastars (Curry, Durant, and James) and history (an NBA-record fourth-straight finals matchup of Cleveland vs. Golden State). There were even intriguing nicknames for the series: Cavs-Warriors IV, or, if you prefer, The Tetralogy (a college-level word meaning trilogy-plus-one). What the series lacked, however, was suspense. The Warriors followed up close matches in games one and three with blowouts in games two and four, easing their way to the title while preventing the Cavs from earning a single win. Durant, who averaged nearly 29 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists on high-percentage shooting in the finals, won the Bill Russell Finals Most Valuable Player Award for a second-straight year.

Between the two teams, only eight players remained from the teams’ first finals tangle in 2015: LeBron James, J. R. Smith, and Tristan Thompson for Cleveland; and Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Klay Thompson for the Oakland-based Golden State squad.

Finals game one in Oakland offered the most hope for the Cavaliers and their narrow championship chances. The game was tied at halftime and close throughout. With 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland ahead by 2, a curious reversal of a foul call during a video review changed a Durant charge into a blocking foul on James. On a night when James did nearly everything right—51 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists—the changed call proved a bit of bad luck the Cavaliers could not overcome. Durant made two free throws to tie the score. Then, with fewer than 5 seconds to go in a tie game, Cavs guard Smith secured an offensive rebound near the basket. Bizarrely, Smith neglected to put up a shot to try to win the game, and he was dribbling away from the basket as time expired. He explained later that he thought his team was ahead at the time. In overtime, Golden State quickly jumped out front and won the game going away, 124-114.

Game two saw no such drama. The Warriors led from start to finish for an easy 122-103 victory. The series moved to Cleveland for game three, and although the game was close, the result was the same. Durant scored 43 points and added 13 rebounds and 7 assists to pull the Warriors ahead down the stretch for a 110-102 win and a commanding 3-0 series lead. James tallied 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for the losing Cavs, extending his NBA-record 10th finals triple double (double digits in points, rebounds, and assists). Game four was the least dramatic of all as the Warriors jumped out early and cruised through the second half with leads hovering around 20 points.

In the Eastern Conference playoffs, James almost single-handedly carried his Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Boston Celtics en route to his team’s fourth straight NBA Finals appearance. James also secured his individual legacy with an eighth consecutive trip—and ninth overall—to the NBA Finals. James first made it to the finals in 2007 during his first go-round with the Cavs. He then reached the finals with the Miami Heat from 2011 through 2014, winning championships in 2012 and 2013. James returned to Cleveland for the 2014-2015 season, and he brought the Cavaliers their lone championship in 2016.

In the western playoffs, the Warriors downed the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans before outlasting the regular season NBA-best Houston Rockets in an exciting seven-game Western Conference Finals.

June 20, 2016

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 19, 2016.
Credit: © Bob Donnan, USA Today Sports/Reuters

Yesterday, June 19, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 93-89 to win the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. Cleveland‘s thrilling victory completed the first-ever comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit in the best-of-7 NBA championship series. It was the first title for the Cavs, and the first major sports championship in Cleveland since the Browns topped the National Football League in 1964. The win was also sweet revenge for Cleveland against Golden State, who had downed the Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals.

LeBron James, a native of Akron, Ohio, just south of Cleveland, led the way for the Cavaliers, earning the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. James and teammates Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and J.R. Smith outlasted a flashy, often scintillating Warriors team that had passed and swished its way to a best-ever NBA season record of 73-9, surpassing the 72-10 mark set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors built a 3-1 series lead behind two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and his backcourt mate Klay Thompson—standout guards nicknamed the “Splash Brothers” for their uncanny accuracy sinking long-range three-point shots. A year earlier, Warriors do-everything swingman Andre Iguodala contained James and the Cavaliers en route to his own Finals MVP Award. This year, however, no Warrior could match James’s will to win as the Cavalier forward amassed a Game 7 “triple-double” with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.

In leading his team to the comeback win—the Cavs trailed 49-42 at halftime—James completed a storybook turnaround for his team, his reputation, and his own place in league history. The Cavaliers drafted “King James” straight out of high school in 2003. He led the team to a Finals appearance in 2007, but the Cavs couldn’t get by the more broadly talented San Antonio Spurs.

Many championship-starved Cleveland fans burned their James jerseys in 2010 after he spurned the Cavs to seek titles with the Miami Heat. The Heat played in the next four consecutive Finals, winning titles in 2012 and 2013. Following the 2013-14 season, a sentimental James returned to Cleveland, where he joined young point guard Kyrie Irving and the embattled Kevin Love, a crafty rebounder who, despite a sweet shooting touch, had never led his prior Minnesota teams to a playoff appearance.

The dynamic Irving—a 2011 first overall draft pick—had something of a national coming-out party in the 2016 Finals’ crucial Game 5, when he converted numerous spinning, off-balance baskets, making 17-of-24 shots en route to a 41-point performance. James matched Irving’s point total and added 16 rebounds in the game, which proved a turning point in the series. Warriors hero/goat Draymond Green watched Game 5 from outside the arena while serving an automatic one-game suspension for his fourth flagrant foul of the playoffs. Green proved rusty in his return in Game 6, but he brought his team close to a second consecutive title with a 32-point, 15-rebound, 9-assist performance in the deciding Game 7.

April 14, 2016

Stephen Curry (30) and the Golden State Warriors finished the NBA season with a record-setting 73 wins against just 9 losses. Credit: AP Photo

Last night, April 13, the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season finished in dazzling style. In Oakland, California, the Golden State Warriors dismantled the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104. The home win was nothing new for Stephen Curry and the Warriors, who ended the year 39-2 at Oracle Arena. The Warriors played well on the road this season, too, disappointing other teams’ fans 34 out of 41 times. Golden State finished 73-9, an all-time season best, breaking the 72-10 record set 20 years ago by the seemingly invincible Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Last season, the Warriors went 39-2 at home as well, but they finished with an overall record of just 67-15. Masking their disappointment, the Warriors coasted through the playoffs on their way to an NBA championship. Basketball experts are banking on the Warriors repeating their championship run this year, with maybe one team standing in the way: the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, by the way, won only 67 games this year. Poor Spurs.

Last night in Los Angeles, Lakers star Kobe Bryant took the court for the final time in his flamboyant 20-year NBA career. Bryant pleased the Laker faithful by scoring 60 points in his team’s 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz. Bryant’s teammates gave him the ball nearly every possession, and he took a career-high 50 shots from the floor. Bryant ended his sure-fire hall-of-fame career with 33,643 career points, third-most in NBA history.

The Lakers bring up the other end of the NBA spectrum, however. Last night’s headline victory pushed the Lakers to a 17-65 record—their worst season ever, but not the worst in the NBA this year. That distinction fell to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, who finished 10-72. The 76ers fell one defeat shy of breaking their own record for losses in an 82-game NBA season. The ‘Sixers went 9-73 in ’73.

June 22, 2012

The Miami Heat won the 2011-2012 National Basketball Association (NBA) championship last night by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1, though lots of basketball fans were unhappy about the result. In just two years, the Heat had become the most hated team in the NBA, perceived as arrogant and smug after the team signed stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade on the roster. At an extravagant coming-out party in the summer of 2010 to announce the signings of Bosh and James, LeBron predicted a Heat dynasty with multiple championships: “Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven.”

Le Bron James (© Aaron Josefczyk, Reuters/Landov)

Many people considered Oklahoma City talented enough to defeat Miami. Led by the high-scoring duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder had swept through the first three rounds of the Western Conference play-offs, defeating defending champion Dallas Mavericks and then the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, losing only three games along the way. Miami defeated the Indiana Pacers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics, with Boston forcing Miami into a seventh and final game for the Eastern Conference championship.

Oklahoma City defeated Miami in the opening game of the finals but lost the next three, all competitive contests that were not decided until the final minute. There was no suspense in the fifth game. Miami led by as many as 27 points before winning 121-106. James dominated the play-offs as he had dominated the regular season and was named the Most Valuable Player for the finals. LeBron’s prediction of more than seven NBA championships may not come true, but nobody could take away his first title.