2007 NBA Finals - wikipedia 2007 NBA Finals 2007 NBA Finals Team Coach Wins San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich Cleveland Cavaliers Mike Brown 0 Dates June 7 -- 14 MVP Tony Parker ( San Antonio Spurs ) Television ABC ( U.S. ) Announcers Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy Radio network ESPN Announcers Jim Durham, Hubie Brown and Jack Ramsay Referees Game 1 : Ken Mauer, Mike Callahan, Steve Javie Game 2 : Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Joe DeRosa Game 3 : Bernie Fryer, Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford Game 4 : Bennett Salvatore, Joe Forte, Eddie F. Rush Hall of Famers Officials : Dick Bavetta ( 2015 ) Eastern Finals Cavaliers defeated Pistons, 4 -- 2 Western Finals Spurs defeated Jazz, 4 -- 1 < 2006 NBA Finals 2008 > The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) 's 2006 -- 07 season, and was the conclusion of the season 's playoffs. The best - of - seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. This was Cleveland 's first trip to the NBA Finals in their franchise history and San Antonio 's fourth. The Spurs swept the Cavaliers 4 games to 0. Tony Parker was named the series ' MVP. The series was televised on ABC under the ESPN on ABC branding, and produced low television ratings comparing to the 2002 NBA Finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets. As of 2017, this is the most recent Finals to end in a sweep. Contents 1 Format 2 Series summary 3 Background 3.1 2007 NBA Playoffs 3.2 Regular season series 3.3 San Antonio Spurs 3.4 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 Starting lineups 5 Rosters 5.1 San Antonio Spurs 5.2 Cleveland Cavaliers 6 Player statistics 7 Game summaries 7.1 Game 1 7.2 Game 2 7.3 Game 3 7.4 Game 4 8 Broadcasting 8.1 Ratings 9 Aftermath 10 References 11 External links Format The Finals were played using the 2 - 3 - 2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. The other playoff series were played in the 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 1 format. The best - of - seven series began on June 7, 2007, with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs playing the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Because the San Antonio Spurs had a better regular season win - loss record, they had home court advantage. Series summary Game Date Home Team Result Road Team Game 1 Thursday, June 7 San Antonio Spurs 85 -- 76 ( 1 -- 0 ) Cleveland Cavaliers Game 2 Sunday, June 10 San Antonio Spurs 103 -- 92 ( 2 -- 0 ) Cleveland Cavaliers Game 3 Tuesday, June 12 Cleveland Cavaliers 72 -- 75 ( 0 -- 3 ) San Antonio Spurs Game 4 Thursday, June 14 Cleveland Cavaliers 82 -- 83 ( 0 -- 4 ) San Antonio Spurs Background 2007 NBA Playoffs Main article : 2007 NBA Playoffs San Antonio Spurs ( Western Conference Champion ) Cleveland Cavaliers ( Eastern Conference Champion ) # Western Conference Team PCT GB z - Dallas Mavericks 67 15. 817 - y - Phoenix Suns 61 21. 744 6 x-San Antonio Spurs 58 24. 707 9 y - Utah Jazz 51 31. 622 16 5 x-Houston Rockets 52 30. 634 15 6 x-Denver Nuggets 45 37. 549 22 7 x-Los Angeles Lakers 42 40. 512 25 8 x-Golden State Warriors 42 40. 512 25 9 Los Angeles Clippers 40 42. 488 27 10 New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets 39 43. 476 28 11 Sacramento Kings 33 49. 402 34 12 Portland Trail Blazers 32 50. 390 35 13 Minnesota Timberwolves 32 50. 390 35 14 Seattle SuperSonics 31 51. 378 36 15 Memphis Grizzlies 22 60. 268 45 3rd seed in the West, 3rd best league record Regular season # Eastern Conference Team PCT GB c - Detroit Pistons 53 29. 646 -- x-Cleveland Cavaliers 50 32. 610 y - Toronto Raptors 47 35. 573 6 y - Miami Heat 44 38. 537 9 5 x-Chicago Bulls 49 33. 598 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 2nd seed in the East, 7th best league record Defeated the ( 6 ) Denver Nuggets, 4 -- 1 First Round Defeated the ( 7 ) Washington Wizards, 4 -- 0 Defeated the ( 2 ) Phoenix Suns, 4 -- 2 Conference Semifinals Defeated the ( 6 ) New Jersey Nets, 4 -- 2 Defeated the ( 4 ) Utah Jazz, 4 -- 1 Conference Finals Defeated the ( 1 ) Detroit Pistons, 4 -- 2 Regular season series The Cleveland Cavaliers won both games in the regular season series : ESPN November 3 Cleveland Cavaliers 88, San Antonio Spurs 81 AT&T Center, San Antonio NBA TV January 2 San Antonio Spurs 78, Cleveland Cavaliers 92 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland San Antonio Spurs The previous season saw the San Antonio Spurs drop a heartbreaking seventh game at home to the rival Dallas Mavericks in the second round. As the new season began, the Spurs saw the Mavericks rolling through their regular season, on their way to a franchise best 67 win campaign. Meanwhile, the Spurs struggled through their season through January. With the main focus lying on Dallas, and the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs found themselves flying under the radar. However, the Spurs used a late season surge en route to a 58 -- 24 regular season record, good enough for third seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Spurs met the Denver Nuggets and their duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Although the Nuggets took game 1, the Spurs rallied off 4 straight wins to take the series in five games. As San Antonio prepared to face off against the second seed Phoenix Suns, the top ranked Dallas Mavericks suffered a stunning first round exit at the hand of the Golden State Warriors. With the Mavericks gone, the stakes of the Suns - Spurs series shot up dramatically, and the result was a closely competitive and controversial series. The Suns, due to their better season record, had homecourt advantage, but that would not last past game 1. In a hotly contested battle of Western Conference heavyweights, each team tried to deliver a knockout blow to the other. The Spurs finally landed it, but by accident. With the game in the balance Tony Parker and Steve Nash collided head - to - head. A large gash opened along Nash 's nose and though the medical staff tried admirably, they could not stop the bleeding and he was forced to sit the final 45 seconds and watch as the Spurs won game 1, 111 -- 106. Game 2 saw the Suns rebound and blow out the Spurs to a 101 -- 81 beating. After this game, Suns center Amar'e Stoudemire labeled the Spurs a dirty team. Game 3 switched back to San Antonio and saw a return of the physical play, resulting in Manu Ginóbili receiving a bruised and bloodied eye and Nash being kneed in the groin by Bruce Bowen. However, Tim Duncan led the Spurs to a 108 -- 101 victory. Games 4 and 5 were the most controversial of the series. The Spurs, after being comfortably in control of game 4, saw their 11 - point fourth quarter lead dwindle away, to a 2 - point Suns lead. With 18 seconds left, Robert Horry bodychecked Steve Nash in which he threw his arms in the air, into the scorers table. Nash 's teammates jumped to his defense ; during the ensuing altercation, Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the bench heading toward the altercation. Their action violated NBA rules, resulting in the decision by league commissioner David Stern to suspend both players for game 5 ( Horry was also suspended two games for his flagrant foul against Nash ). In game 5, played in Phoenix, the short - handed Suns jumped out early and enjoyed a 16 - point lead on the Spurs, but in a reversal of game 4, this time the Spurs came back in the final seconds and won the game 88 -- 85, giving San Antonio a 3 -- 2 series lead. The Spurs won game 6 of the series 114 -- 106 in San Antonio, sending them to their fifth Western Conference finals since 1999. San Antonio went on to beat the Utah Jazz in five games to advance to the franchise 's fourth NBA Finals. Cleveland Cavaliers In the replay of the previous year 's playoffs with the Cavaliers holding home court advantage against Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers took care of the Wizards in a four - game sweep, after the season - ending injuries of both Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. In the second round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers faced off against the New Jersey Nets. Again, the Cavaliers had home court advantage, and battled with the Nets through 6 games before becoming victorious in the series. The Cavaliers for only the third time in franchise history, advanced to the conference finals, and this time they were facing a familiar foe. The Detroit Pistons, the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, with their home court advantage, were waiting for the Cavaliers. This was the same Detroit team that knocked the Cavaliers out of the second round last year. The expectations were high after a long 7 game series the previous year and these two teams would not disappoint. The first two games were close and saw Cleveland fall by identical 79 -- 76 scores. Down 0 -- 2 in the series, the spotlight shifted back to Cleveland and LeBron James. Another hard fought set ensued, with the Cavaliers taking the two games at home 88 - 82 and 91 - 87 respectively. Game 5 switched back to Detroit and produced one of the greatest moments in NBA history. With 6 : 14 to go in regulation and his team clinging to a one - point 79 -- 78 lead, LeBron James took over the game. He scored 11 of the final 12 points to end regulation tied 91 - 91. In the first overtime, James scored all nine of the Cavaliers ' points ending this period tied 100 - 100. In the second overtime, James again scored all nine of the team 's points to win game 5, 109 - 107. Thus, in the last 16 : 14 of play, James scored 29 of the Cavaliers ' last 30 points, as well as all of their last 25 points. The Cavaliers beat the Pistons at home in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to advance to the franchise 's first ever trip to NBA Finals. Cleveland became the third team in NBA history to win a best - of - seven conference finals series after trailing by 2 games in a series. Starting lineups Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ‡ San Antonio Position Cleveland Tony Parker PG Larry Hughes Michael Finley SG Sasha Pavlović Bruce Bowen SF LeBron James Tim Duncan PF Drew Gooden Fabricio Oberto Zydrunas Ilgauskas Rosters San Antonio Spurs 2006 -- 07 San Antonio Spurs roster Players Coaches Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB ( YYYY - MM - DD ) From 2.5 ! G / F 7001170000000000000 ♠ 17 Barry, Brent 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 209 lb ( 95 kg ) 1971 -- 12 -- 31 Oregon State 4.0 ! F 7001150000000000000 ♠ 15 Bonner, Matt 7000208279999999999 ♠ 6 ft 10 in ( 2.08 m ) 235 lb ( 107 kg ) 1980 -- 04 -- 05 Florida 2.5 ! G / F 7001120000000000000 ♠ 12 Bowen, Bruce 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 200 lb ( 91 kg ) 1971 -- 06 -- 14 Cal State Fullerton 5.5 ! F / C 7001450000000000000 ♠ 45 Butler, Jackie 7000208279999999999 ♠ 6 ft 10 in ( 2.08 m ) 260 lb ( 118 kg ) 1985 -- 03 -- 10 Coastal Christian Academy 5.5 ! F / C 7001210000000000000 ♠ 21 Duncan, Tim ( C ) 7000210820000000000 ♠ 6 ft 11 in ( 2.11 m ) 250 lb ( 113 kg ) 1976 -- 04 -- 25 Wake Forest 6.0 ! C 7001160000000000000 ♠ 16 Elson, Francisco 7000213360000000000 ♠ 7 ft 0 in ( 2.13 m ) 235 lb ( 107 kg ) 1976 -- 02 -- 28 California 4.0 ! F 7000200000000000000 ♠ 2 Ely, Melvin 7000208279999999999 ♠ 6 ft 10 in ( 2.08 m ) 261 lb ( 118 kg ) 1978 -- 05 -- 02 Fresno State 2.5 ! G / F 7000400000000000000 ♠ 4 Finley, Michael 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 225 lb ( 102 kg ) 1973 -- 03 -- 06 Wisconsin 1.5 ! G 7001200000000000000 ♠ 20 Ginóbili, Manu 7000198120000000000 ♠ 6 ft 6 in ( 1.98 m ) 205 lb ( 93 kg ) 1977 -- 07 -- 28 Argentina 4.0 ! F 7000500000000000000 ♠ 5 Horry, Robert 7000205740000000000 ♠ 6 ft 9 in ( 2.06 m ) 240 lb ( 109 kg ) 1970 -- 08 -- 25 Alabama 5.5 ! F / C 7000700000000000000 ♠ 7 Oberto, Fabricio 7000208279999999999 ♠ 6 ft 10 in ( 2.08 m ) 256 lb ( 116 kg ) 1975 -- 03 -- 21 Argentina 1.5 ! G 7000900000000000000 ♠ 9 Parker, Tony 7000187960000000000 ♠ 6 ft 2 in ( 1.88 m ) 185 lb ( 84 kg ) 1982 -- 05 -- 17 France 1.5 ! G 7001140000000000000 ♠ 14 Udrih, Beno 7000190500000000000 ♠ 6 ft 3 in ( 1.91 m ) 205 lb ( 93 kg ) 1982 -- 07 -- 05 Slovenia 1.5 ! G 7001110000000000000 ♠ 11 Vaughn, Jacque 7000185420000000000 ♠ 6 ft 1 in ( 1.85 m ) 190 lb ( 86 kg ) 1975 -- 02 -- 11 Kansas 2.5 ! G / F 7001330000000000000 ♠ 33 White, James 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 215 lb ( 98 kg ) 1982 -- 10 -- 21 Cincinnati Head coach Gregg Popovich Assistant coach ( es ) Brett Brown Mike Budenholzer P.J. Carlesimo Legend ( C ) Team captain ( DP ) Unsigned draft pick ( FA ) Free agent ( S ) Suspended Injured Roster Transactions Last transaction : 2007 -- 02 -- 13 Cleveland Cavaliers 2006 -- 07 Cleveland Cavaliers roster Players Coaches Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB ( YYYY - MM - DD ) From 1.5 ! G 7000600000000000000 ♠ 6 Brown, Shannon 7000193040000000000 ♠ 6 ft 4 in ( 1.93 m ) 210 lb ( 95 kg ) 1985 -- 11 -- 30 Michigan State 1.5 ! G 7000100000000000000 ♠ 1 Gibson, Daniel 7000187960000000000 ♠ 6 ft 2 in ( 1.88 m ) 200 lb ( 91 kg ) 1986 -- 02 -- 27 Texas 4.0 ! F 7001900000000000000 ♠ 90 Gooden, Drew 7000208279999999999 ♠ 6 ft 10 in ( 2.08 m ) 250 lb ( 113 kg ) 1981 -- 09 -- 24 Kansas 1.5 ! G 7001320000000000000 ♠ 32 Hughes, Larry 7000195580000000000 ♠ 6 ft 5 in ( 1.96 m ) 184 lb ( 83 kg ) 1979 -- 01 -- 23 Saint Louis 6.0 ! C 7001110000000000000 ♠ 11 Ilgauskas, Žydrūnas 7000220980000000000 ♠ 7 ft 3 in ( 2.21 m ) 260 lb ( 118 kg ) 1975 -- 06 -- 05 Lithuania 4.0 ! F 7001230000000000000 ♠ 23 James, LeBron ( C ) 7000203200000000000 ♠ 6 ft 8 in ( 2.03 m ) 250 lb ( 113 kg ) 1984 -- 12 -- 30 St. Vincent -- St. Mary HS ( OH ) 1.5 ! G 7001190000000000000 ♠ 19 Jones, Damon 7000193040000000000 ♠ 6 ft 4 in ( 1.93 m ) 200 lb ( 91 kg ) 1976 -- 08 -- 25 Houston 5.5 ! F / C 7001270000000000000 ♠ 27 Jones, Dwayne 7000210820000000000 ♠ 6 ft 11 in ( 2.11 m ) 250 lb ( 113 kg ) 1983 -- 06 -- 09 Saint Joseph 's 4.0 ! F 7001240000000000000 ♠ 24 Marshall, Donyell 7000205740000000000 ♠ 6 ft 9 in ( 2.06 m ) 245 lb ( 111 kg ) 1973 -- 05 -- 18 Connecticut 4.0 ! F 7001140000000000000 ♠ 14 Newble, Ira 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 235 lb ( 107 kg ) 1975 -- 01 -- 20 Miami ( OH ) 2.5 ! G / F 7000300000000000000 ♠ 3 Pavlović, Aleksandar 7000200659999999999 ♠ 6 ft 7 in ( 2.01 m ) 235 lb ( 107 kg ) 1983 -- 11 -- 15 Serbia 5.5 ! F / C 7001310000000000000 ♠ 31 Pollard, Scot 7000210820000000000 ♠ 6 ft 11 in ( 2.11 m ) 278 lb ( 126 kg ) 1975 -- 02 -- 12 Kansas 1.5 ! G 7001200000000000000 ♠ 20 Snow, Eric 7000190500000000000 ♠ 6 ft 3 in ( 1.91 m ) 190 lb ( 86 kg ) 1973 -- 04 -- 24 Michigan State 5.5 ! F / C 7001170000000000000 ♠ 17 Varejão, Anderson 7000210820000000000 ♠ 6 ft 11 in ( 2.11 m ) 273 lb ( 124 kg ) 1982 -- 09 -- 28 Brazil 1.5 ! G 7000400000000000000 ♠ 4 Wesley, David 7000185420000000000 ♠ 6 ft 1 in ( 1.85 m ) 229 lb ( 104 kg ) 1970 -- 11 -- 14 Baylor Head coach Mike Brown Assistant coach ( es ) Hank Egan Melvin Hunt Michael Malone Kenny Natt Legend ( C ) Team captain ( DP ) Unsigned draft pick ( FA ) Free agent ( S ) Suspended Injured Roster Transactions Last transaction : 2007 -- 03 -- 26 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 San Antonio Spurs Player GP GS MPG FG % 3FG % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Barry, Brent Brent Barry 0 10.6. 364. 400. 000 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.0 3.0 Bowen, Bruce Bruce Bowen 41.7. 296. 389. 250 5.5 1.3 0.5 0.3 6.0 Duncan, Tim Tim Duncan 37.3. 446. 000. 625 11.5 3.8 1.3 2.3 18.3 Elson, Francisco Francisco Elson 0 11.4 1.000. 000. 800 2.5 0.0 0.3 0.0 4.0 Finley, Michael Michael Finley 18.5. 261. 083. 667 2.0 0.8 1.3 0.0 3.8 Ginóbili, Manu Manu Ginóbili 0 29.3. 367. 435. 833 5.8 2.5 1.3 0.0 17.8 Horry, Robert Robert Horry 0 22.0. 333. 375. 750 4.5 3.3 0.3 1.3 3.0 Oberto, Fabricio Fabricio Oberto 20.8. 471. 000. 333 4.3 0.5 0.3 0.0 4.3 Parker, Tony Tony Parker 37.8. 568. 571. 526 5.0 3.3 0.8 0.0 24.5 Udrih, Beno Beno Udrih 0 0.6. 000. 000. 000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Vaughn, Jacque Jacque Vaughn 0 10.1. 571. 000. 000 1.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 Cleveland Cavaliers Player GP GS MPG FG % 3FG % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Brown, Shannon Shannon Brown 0 0.0. 000. 000. 000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Gibson, Daniel Daniel Gibson 34.8. 439. 316 1.000 1.8 2.5 1.5 0.0 10.8 Gooden, Drew Drew Gooden 27.5. 500. 000. 875 8.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 12.8 Hughes, Larry Larry Hughes 21.9. 100. 000. 000 2.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 1.0 Ilgauskas, Zydrunas Zydrunas Ilgauskas 25.8. 351. 000. 833 10.3 0.5 0.5 1.0 7.8 James, LeBron LeBron James 42.6. 356. 200. 690 7.0 6.8 1.0 0.5 22.0 Jones, Damon Damon Jones 0 16.2. 455. 556 1.000 1.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 Marshall, Donyell Donyell Marshall 0 15.3. 313. 182. 750 2.3 1.3 0.8 0.0 3.8 Newble, Ira Ira Newble 0 10.. 000. 000. 000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Pavlović, Aleksandar Aleksandar Pavlović 31.7. 364. 417. 333 2.5 0.8 0.5 0.0 9.8 Pollard, Scot Scot Pollard 0 0.9. 000. 000. 000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Snow, Eric Eric Snow 0 10.2. 400. 000. 500 1.0 2.3 0.3 0.3 1.3 Varejão, Anderson Anderson Varejão 0 24.5. 667. 000. 625 5.3 0.8 1.3 0.5 7.5 Game summaries Game 1 The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2007 Finals as newcomers. Game 1 was their first NBA Finals game 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 Recap Video highlights on YouTube 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 : James 6 Pts : Parker 27 Rebs : Duncan 13 Asts : Parker 7 Blks : Duncan 5 AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance : 18,797 Referees : No. 41 Ken Mauer No. 14 Mike Callahan No. 29 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 dominated the game during the first 3 quarters and played show - time basketball. A furious 25 -- 6 rally by Cleveland in the final quarter was n't enough as the Spurs took a 2 -- 0 lead in the series. ABC, ABCHD, TSN, Canal 7, Canal+, ESPN Brasil June 10 8 : 00 p.m ET Recap Video highlights on YouTube Cleveland Cavaliers 92, San Antonio Spurs 103 Scoring by quarter : 17 -- 28, 16 -- 30, 29 -- 31, 30 -- 14 Pts : James 25 Rebs : Varejão 10 Asts : James 6 TOs : James 6 Pts : Parker 30 Rebs : Duncan, Horry 9 each Asts : Duncan 8 Blks : Horry 5 AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance : 18,797 Referees : No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 6 Jim Clark No. 14 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. 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, CBS CHANNEL 7, Canal+, NBN CHANNEL 4 June 12 9 : 00 p.m. ET Recap Video highlights on YouTube San Antonio Spurs 75, Cleveland Cavaliers 72 Scoring by quarter : 16 -- 18, 24 -- 20, 15 -- 12, 20 -- 22 Pts : Parker 17 Rebs : Duncan, Bowen 9 each Asts : Ginóbili 5 Stls : Finley 4 Pts : James 25 Rebs : Ilgauskas 18 Asts : James 7 TOs : James 5 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland Attendance : 20,562 Referees : No. 7 Bernie Fryer No. 26 Bob Delaney No. 43 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 Recap Video highlights on YouTube San Antonio Spurs 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 82 Scoring by quarter : 19 -- 20, 20 -- 14, 21 -- 18, 23 -- 30 Pts : Ginóbili 27 Rebs : Duncan 15 Asts : Ginóbili 5 TOs : Duncan 6 Pts : James 24 Rebs : Ilgauskas 13 Asts : James 10 TOs : James 6 San Antonio wins series, 4 - 0 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland Attendance : 20,562 Referees : No. 15 Bennett Salvatore No. 45 Joe Forte No. 32 Eddie F. Rush Twelve - year veteran Larry Nance was awarded the NBA championship game ball. Broadcasting See also : NBA on ABC, NBA on ESPN, and NBA on ESPN Radio Coverage was produced by ESPN and televised on ABC in the United States, TSN in Canada, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, Canal+ in France, Premiere in Germany, and more than 100 other broadcasters in over 200 countries. Play - by - play announcer Mike Breen, analysts Mark Jackson & former Rockets head - coach Jeff Van Gundy, and courtside reporters Michele Tafoya & Stuart Scott provided commentary and analysis for the North American market. The radio coverage on ESPN Radio features play - by - play man Mike Tirico and color analysts Dr. Jack Ramsay and Hubie Brown. The featured song, aired throughout the playoffs, was The Pussycat Dolls `` Right Now. '' Another song featured in the 2007 NBA Finals series, `` It Ends Tonight '' by The All - American Rejects, was aired at the end of the pre-game promo for Game 4. Ratings See also : National Basketball Association Nielsen ratings According to ESPN, the NBA Finals series was a television bust in the United States. San Antonio 's four - game sweep of Cleveland finished with a record - low 6.2 television rating and 11 share on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said on June 15, 2007. That was down 27 percent from the 8.5 / 15 for Miami 's six - game victory over Dallas from the previous year and 5 percent under the previous low, a 6.5 / 12 for San Antonio 's six - game win over New Jersey in 2003. San Antonio 's series - winning 83 - 82 victory on Thursday night got a 6.5 / 12, down 17 percent from the 7.8 / 14 for Game 4 in 2006. Despite having the lowest ratings of any NBA championship series, game two of the 2003 series between San Antonio and New Jersey remains the lowest - rated game of all time in the history of the NBA Finals. Aftermath The Spurs won 56 games in the succeeding 2007 -- 08 season, but relinquished the Southwest Division title to the New Orleans Hornets due to a tie - breaker. The Spurs had the last laugh, though, defeating the Hornets in seven games. But their chance of defending their title was denied by the Los Angeles Lakers in five games of the conference finals. After that, age and injury took its toll on the Spurs, as they proceeded to win only a single playoff series in three years ( 2010, vs. Dallas 4 -- 2 of the first round ), before getting upset by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs despite finishing with 61 wins. The Spurs then retooled their roster, after which they appeared in three consecutive conference finals, beginning in 2012, before making the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014 against James and the Miami Heat. The Spurs split the two Finals meetings against the Heat. The Cavaliers won 45 games in the 2007 -- 08 season, despite early - season contract issues involving center Anderson Varejão and guard Sasha Pavlović, and a mid-season trade for Ben Wallace. They fell in the second round to the eventual NBA champions Boston Celtics in seven games, after a hard - fought duel involving LeBron James and Paul Pierce. The Cavaliers would earn the league 's best record for the next two years ( 66 and 61 wins, respectively ) and boast the NBA 's MVP in James. However, they were unable to win it all, losing to the Orlando Magic in six games of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals and the Celtics in six games of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals ( allowing the Lakers to win the Finals twice against the Magic and Celtics ). The latter playoff defeat would cost head coach Mike Brown his job, though he was later re-hired ( and fired again ) in the 2013 -- 14 NBA season. After that season, as a free agent, James left for the Miami Heat and helped them to four successive NBA Finals appearances, winning in 2012 and 2013, while the Cavaliers sunk to an Eastern Conference - low 19 wins in the 2010 -- 11 NBA season, which included a 26 - game losing streak. The Cavaliers then appeared in the NBA draft lottery four consecutive times, earning the top pick in three of them. Those three top picks became Kyrie Irving ( 2011 ), Anthony Bennett ( 2013 ) and Andrew Wiggins ( 2014 ) ( Bennett and Wiggins were later trade to Minnesota for Kevin Love ). In July 2014, James announced his return to the Cavaliers after the hiring of coach David Blatt, and they reached the conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks with a flawless 4 - 0 victory before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the finals 4 - 2. The following season, the Cavaliers returned to the Finals in a rematch against the Golden State Warriors and won the finals over the Warriors 4 - 3 with LeBron James winning the Finals MVP. Mike Brown later joined the Warriors in 2016 as an assistant to Steve Kerr, in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Brown temporarily replaces Kerr as coach as he manage the Warriors tied 1989 and 2001 Lakers as undefeated team in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, including the sweep to the post-Duncan Spurs in the Western Conference Finals leading to the third straight rematch against the Cavaliers. References Jump up ^ `` Ratings for 2007 finals down 27 percent from last year ''. ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2007. External links `` Official site ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 12 - 05. Retrieved 2011 - 07 - 02. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) NBA Finals Champions O'Brien Trophy Most Valuable Player Award Brown Trophy Championship ring Broadcasters Game sevens Droughts Streaks TV ratings 1940s 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 San Antonio Spurs 2006 -- 07 NBA champions 2 Ely 4 Finley 5 Horry 7 Oberto 9 Parker ( Finals MVP ) 11 Vaughn 12 Bowen 14 Udrih 15 Bonner 16 Elson 17 Barry 20 Ginóbili 21 Duncan 33 White 45 Butler Head coach Popovich Assistant coaches Carlesimo Budenholzer Engelland Brown Newman Regular season Playoffs San Antonio Spurs Founded in 1967 Formerly the Dallas Chaparrals ( 1967 -- 1970, 1971 -- 1973 ) and the Texas Chaparrals ( 1970 -- 1971 ) Based in San Antonio, Texas Franchise Franchise ABA -- NBA merger All - time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas State Fair Coliseum Moody Coliseum Tarrant County Coliseum Lubbock Municipal Coliseum HemisFair Arena Alamodome AT&T Center Personnel Owner Spurs Sports & Entertainment President Gregg Popovich General manager R.C. Buford Head coach Gregg Popovich Current roster G League affiliate Austin Spurs Rivalries Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Media TV KENS KMYS Fox Sports Southwest Radio KCOR ( Spanish ) WOAI ( English ) Announcers Bill Land Sean Elliott Bill Schoening Paul Castro Culture and lore The Coyote The Twin Towers The Big Three Memorial Day Miracle Cleveland Cavaliers Founded in 1970 Based in Cleveland, Ohio Franchise History 1970 Expansion Draft All - time roster Draft history Seasons Head coaches Current season Arenas Cleveland Arena Richfield Coliseum Quicken Loans Arena Key personnel Owner : Dan Gilbert General manager : Koby Altman Head coach : Tyronn Lue Culture and lore `` Cleveland Rocks '' Cleveland sports curse Joe Tait Ted Stepien rule The Block The Decision The Miracle of Richfield The Shot Rivalries Chicago Bulls Golden State Warriors Playoff appearances ( 21 ) 1976 1977 1978 1985 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1998 2006 2007 2008 2009 2015 2016 2017 Central Division titles ( 6 ) 1976 2009 2015 2016 2017 Eastern Conference titles ( 4 ) 2007 2015 2016 2017 NBA Championships ( 1 ) 2016 Retired numbers 7 11 22 25 34 42 43 Hall of Fame inductees Wayne Embry Nate Thurmond Lenny Wilkens G League affiliate Canton Charge Media Broadcasters Radio network Flagships : WTAM WMMS Spanish : WLFM - LP Television : Fox Sports Ohio 2006 -- 07 NBA season by team 2006 NBA draft All - Star Game Playoffs Finals Transactions Eastern Atlantic Boston New Jersey New York Philadelphia Toronto Central Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee Southeast Atlanta Charlotte Miami Orlando Washington Western Northwest Denver Minnesota Portland Seattle Utah Pacific Golden State L.A. 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Question: when was the first time lebron went to the finals
Answer: 2007