On the Knuckleheads Podcast, Tayshaun Prince reflected on when 23-year-old LeBron James defied expectations during the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. He recalled how ‘The King’ took over Game 5 in Michigan to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-107 victory over his Detroit Pistons.
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Prince initially admitted that the Cavs lacked quality players around James at that time. Everyone thus predicted the Pistons to walk away with the series. Those expectations seemed more certain when they took an early 2-0 lead. However, ‘The Akron Hammer’ had other plans. He leveled the series by scoring 57 combined points in Games 3 and 4.
James outdid himself in the next game. He scored 19 points in the first three quarters to keep the Cavs within a one-point deficit. What followed, redefined his legacy. LBJ scored 11 points in the final quarter to tie the game. He then delivered an 18-point mythical performance in 10 minutes of double overtime to secure the victory. Prince spoke about how this 48-point performance shifted the momentum of the series.
“At that time, he was still obviously trying to find himself. They were still trying to find pieces around him… They didn’t have enough talent around him to be able to beat Detroit [Pistons] but momentum shifts in playoff series could always happen. He had a fourth quarter in overtime that just we couldn’t do anything at that time to slow him down.”
Prince also discussed that James‘ gameplay was far from complete back then. The 20x All-Star’s arsenal lacked the lethal jump shots and post-up moves that became staples of his later career. He instead relied heavily on transition sequences and pick-and-roll situations. Yet, he mastered these crafts to such an extent that his limited skill set was potent enough to shift the outcome in his favor.
“The thing about Bron back then was transition, pick and roll game. If you don’t get that under control and he gets rolling in that then everything else he starts rolling. ‘Cause you remember, he wasn’t a good jump shooter back then. He wasn’t doing a whole lot of posting up and all these other stuff.”
Following this win, the Cavs took their first lead in the series. They built on it to clinch the Eastern Conference title with a 98-82 victory in Game 6 in Ohio. This opened the doors for their first-ever NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
Although they eventually lost the Finals to a formidable Spurs team, it became clear that James’ influence in the league was on the rise. All he needed at the time was a few superstar pieces around him to complement his game. He got that when he moved to Miami, and the rest, as they say, is history.
