2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 36th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 50–32 record, and a second-place finish in the Central Division, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards in six games in the first round and reached the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference where they lost in seven games to the Detroit Pistons. LeBron James was the team's leading scorer and was named to the All-NBA first team. He was also selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game where he won his first All-Star MVP.

2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Head coach	Mike Brown
General manager	Danny Ferry
Owner(s)	Dan Gilbert
Arena	Quicken Loans Arena
Results
Record	50–32 (.610)
Place	Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Conference Semifinals (lost to Pistons 3–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	FSN Ohio WUAB
Radio	WTAM
< 2004–05 2006–07 >

For this season, they added new dark blue road alternate uniforms added side panels to their jerseys and shorts, they remained in use until 2010.

Offseason

Free agents

Additions Player Date Former team Larry Hughes August 4 Washington Wizards Donyell Marshall August 4 Toronto Raptors Damon Jones September 8 Miami Heat Zydrunas Ilgauskas September 13 Cleveland Cavaliers Alan Henderson September 17 Dallas Mavericks Zendon Hamilton September 30 Milwaukee Bucks Mike Wilks September 30 San Antonio Spurs

Subtractions Player Date New team Scott Williams April 15 Retired Robert Traylor June 15 Gestibérica Vigo Lucious Harris June 16 Free Agent Jeff McInnis August 11 New Jersey Nets Desagana Diop August 19 Dallas Mavericks Dajuan Wagner Free Agent Jérôme Moïso Lottomatica Roma

Trades

June 28, 2005

To Cleveland Cavaliers 2006 2nd round draft pick

To Milwaukee Bucks Jiří Welsch

June 29, 2005

To Cleveland Cavaliers Rights to Martynas Andriuskevicius

To Orlando Magic 2006 2nd round draft pick and cash

Draft picks

Main article: 2005 NBA draft

Cleveland did not have a draft pick in the 2005 NBA Draft due to trades from previous seasons.

• 1st round pick (#13) traded to Phoenix in Wesley Person deal, sent to Charlotte as part of expansion selection.^[1] Used to draft Sean May.
• 2nd round pick (#44) traded to Orlando in Drew Gooden deal.^[2] Used to draft Martynas Andriuskevicius who was traded back to Cleveland.

Roster

2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From C 15 Martynas Andriuskevicius 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1986-03-12 Lithuania PF 90 Drew Gooden 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1981-09-24 Kansas SG 1 Stephen Graham 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1982-06-11 Oklahoma State C 44 Alan Henderson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1972-12-02 Indiana SG 32 Larry Hughes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1979-01-23 Saint Louis C 11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1975-06-05 Lithuania SF 33 Luke Jackson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1981-11-06 Oregon SF 23 LeBron James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH) PG 19 Damon Jones 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1976-08-25 Houston PF 24 Donyell Marshall 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1973-05-18 Connecticut SG 2 Ronald Murray 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1979-07-29 Shaw SG 14 Ira Newble 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1975-01-20 Miami (OH) SG 3 Aleksandar Pavlović 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1983-11-15 Serbia PG 20 Eric Snow 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1973-04-24 Michigan State C 17 Anderson Varejão 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1982-09-28 Brazil

Head coach Mike Brown Assistant(s) Hank Egan Melvin Hunt Kenny Natt Michael Malone Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: April 12, 2006

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	64	18	.780	-	37–4	27–14	13–3
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	50	32	.610	14	31–10	19–22	11–5
x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	23	27–14	14–27	6–10
x-Chicago Bulls	41	41	.500	23	21–20	20–21	4–12
x-Milwaukee Bucks	40	42	.488	24	25–16	15–26	6–10

Eastern Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Detroit Pistons	64	18	.780	-
2	y-Miami Heat	52	30	.634	12
3	y-New Jersey Nets	49	33	.598	15
4	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	50	32	.610	14
5	x-Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	22
6	x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	23
7	x-Chicago Bulls	41	41	.500	23
8	x-Milwaukee Bucks	40	42	.488	24
9	Philadelphia 76ers	38	44	.463	26
10	Orlando Magic	36	46	.439	28
11	Boston Celtics	33	49	.402	31
12	Toronto Raptors	27	55	.329	37
13	Charlotte Bobcats	26	56	.317	38
14	Atlanta Hawks	26	56	.317	38
15	New York Knicks	23	59	.280	41

Record vs. opponents

2005-06 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOK	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–1	1–3	0–3	1–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–3
Boston	1–2	—	2–1	0–4	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–3	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–3	1–1	1–3	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–3
Charlotte	3–1	1–2	—	2–2	0–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–3	1–1	1–3	0–2	3–0	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–3
Chicago	3–0	4–0	2–2	—	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–1	1–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	4–0	1–1	3–1
Cleveland	2–1	4–0	3–0	4–0	—	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	1–3
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	—	3–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–1	2–2	3–0	2–0	3–1	2–0
Denver	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	—	1–1	2–1	2–2	2–0	1–3	1–2	2–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–3	1–1
Detroit	3–1	3–0	4–0	4–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–1	3–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	0–2	0–3
Golden State	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–2	0–2	—	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4	2–1	2–0	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	3–1	—	1–1	2–2	1–2	0–4	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–3	2–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–0
Indiana	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–2	1–1	2–1	2–0	2–2	3–0	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–2
L.A. Clippers	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	3–0	0–4	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–1	2–0
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	1–1	4–0	2–1	1–1	2–2	—	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–1	2–0	2–2	1–1
Memphis	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–2	0–2	3–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	—	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–1	2–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–0
Miami	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	—	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	3–0	2–2	3–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–0	4–0
Milwaukee	3–1	3–0	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	—	1–1	1–3	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	0–2	2–1
Minnesota	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–3	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–1
New Jersey	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	—	2–0	3–1	3–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–1
New Orleans/Oklahoma City	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–2	0–2	2–1	3–1	0–2	2–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	0–2	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–3	1–1
New York	2–2	1–3	0–3	1–2	2–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–2	—	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–3
Orlando	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	0–3	1–1	3–1	—	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	2–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–3	1–3	2–0	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–3	—	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–2
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	3–1	0–2	3–1	3–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–1	1–1
Portland	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–2	0–2	0–3	2–2	1–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	—	1–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
Sacramento	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–2	3–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–1	—	1–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–2
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	4–0	4–0	2–0	2–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–1	—	2–1	2–0	3–0	1–1
Seattle	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–3	2–2	0–2	1–2	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–2	—	1–1	3–1	1–1
Toronto	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–4	0–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–2	2–0	1–3	0–2	3–1	2–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	0–2	1–2
Utah	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–2	4–0	1–3	0–3	1–3	2–0	—	1–1
Washington	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–2	1–1	1–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	—

Game log

2005–06 game log Total: 50–32 (home: 30–11; road: 20–21)
November: 10–4 (home: 7–1; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 2, 2005 New Orleans/Oklahoma City W 109–87 LeBron James (31) Donyell Marshall (9) Larry Hughes (6) Gund Arena 20,562 1–0 2 November 4, 2005 @ San Antonio L 76–102 LeBron James (20) Donyell Marshall (10) LeBron James (4) SBC Center 18,797 1–1 3 November 5, 2005 @ Memphis L 106–113 LeBron James (36) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (6) FedEx Forum 17,368 1–2 4 November 7, 2005 @ Toronto W 105–93 LeBron James (27) Donyell Marshall (11) LeBron James (6) Air Canada Centre 18,281 2–2 5 November 9, 2005 Seattle W 112–85 LeBron James (31) Donyell Marshall, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Alan Henderson (9) Larry Hughes (5) Gund Arena 19,564 3–2 6 November 11, 2005 Memphis W 89–70 LeBron James (16) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12) Larry Hughes, Eric Snow (5) Gund Arena 16,554 4–2 7 November 13, 2005 @ Orlando W 108–100 (OT) LeBron James (26) Larry Hughes (9) Larry Hughes (7) TD Waterhouse Centre 15,414 5–2 8 November 15, 2005 Washington W 114–99 LeBron James (37) LeBron James (10) Larry Hughes (8) Gund Arena 17,685 6–2 9 November 18, 2005 Orlando W 102–84 Zydrunas Ilgauskas (22) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) Larry Hughes (6) Gund Arena 18,591 7–2 10 November 19, 2005 @ Philadelphia W 123–120 Larry Hughes (37) Drew Gooden (13) LeBron James (10) Wachovia Center 18,908 8–2 11 November 22, 2005 Boston W 115–93 LeBron James (36) Drew Gooden (15) Eric Snow (9) Gund Arena 17,139 9–2 12 November 24, 2005 @ Indiana L 76–98 LeBron James (19) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (4) Conseco Fieldhouse 17,243 9–3 13 November 26, 2005 Minnesota L 85–89 LeBron James (38) Drew Gooden (12) Eric Snow (3) Gund Arena 20,562 9–4 14 November 30, 2005 L.A. Clippers W 112–105 (OT) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (29) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 18,209 10–4
December : 8–6 (home: 6–2; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 15 December 2, 2005 @ Seattle L 108–115 LeBron James (34) Drew Gooden (7) LeBron James (8) KeyArena 17,072 10–5 16 December 3, 2005 @ L.A. Clippers L 90–102 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (6) STAPLES Center 18,369 10–6 17 December 6, 2005 @ Sacramento W 102–97 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7) LeBron James, Larry Hughes (6) ARCO Arena 17,317 11–6 18 December 9, 2005 New Jersey L 100–109 LeBron James (32) Donyell Marshall (10) Eric Snow (5) Gund Arena 18,177 11–7 19 December 10, 2005 @ Milwaukee L 106–111 LeBron James (52) LeBron James, Donyell Marshall (7) LeBron James (7) Bradley Center 18,717 11–8 20 December 13, 2005 Atlanta L 94–100 LeBron James (39) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James, Eric Snow (6) Gund Arena 17,114 11–9 21 December 15, 2005 Denver W 94–85 LeBron James (26) Donyell Marshall (12) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 17,182 12–9 22 December 17, 2005 Miami W 115–107 LeBron James (41) Donyell Marshall (13) LeBron James (10) Gund Arena 20,562 13–9 23 December 20, 2005 Utah W 110–85 LeBron James (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7) Eric Snow (6) Gund Arena 19,543 14–9 24 December 22, 2005 @ Chicago W 108–100 LeBron James (37) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (6) United Center 21,874 15–9 25 December 23, 2005 Indiana W 94–89 Drew Gooden (21) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 18,757 16–9 26 December 26, 2005 Chicago W 102–91 LeBron James (32) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (14) LeBron James, Eric Snow (6) Gund Arena 20,562 17–9 27 December 27, 2005 @ New Jersey L 91–96 LeBron James (31) Donyell Marshall (14) LeBron James (8) Continental Airlines Arena 20,098 17–10 28 December 31, 2005 Detroit W 97–84 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (13) LeBron James (7) Gund Arena 20,562 18–10
January : 8–7 (home: 3–2; road: 5–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 29 January 4, 2006 @ Milwaukee W 91–84 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (11) Bradley Center 15,785 19–10 30 January 5, 2006 Houston L 81–90 LeBron James (32) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) LeBron James, Eric Snow (5) Gund Arena 18,019 19–11 31 January 7, 2006 Milwaukee W 96–88 LeBron James (35) Drew Gooden (17) LeBron James (6) Gund Arena 19,840 20–11 32 January 10, 2006 New York L 84–92 LeBron James (36) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James (7) Gund Arena 18,064 20–12 33 January 12, 2006 @ L.A. Lakers L 98–99 Zydrunas Ilgauskas (29) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James (9) STAPLES Center 18,997 20–13 34 January 14, 2006 @ Phoenix L 106–115 LeBron James (46) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12) LeBron James (8) America West Arena 18,422 20–14 35 January 15, 2006 @ Portland L 106–115 LeBron James (29) LeBron James (13) LeBron James (7) Rose Garden Arena 19,383 20–15 36 January 18, 2006 @ Denver L 89–90 LeBron James (24) Alan Henderson (12) LeBron James (9) Pepsi Center 19,009 20–16 37 January 20, 2006 @ Golden State L 79–99 Drew Gooden (16) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (6) Oakland Arena 20,205 20–17 38 January 21, 2006 @ Utah W 108–90 LeBron James (51) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8) LeBron James (8) Delta Center 19,340 21–17 39 January 24, 2006 Indiana W 96–66 LeBron James (23) Drew Gooden (10) LeBron James (8) Gund Arena 19,069 22–17 40 January 25, 2006 @ Atlanta W 106–97 LeBron James (38) Drew Gooden (14) Eric Snow (8) Philips Arena 16,089 23–17 41 January 27, 2006 @ Indiana W 93–89 LeBron James (30) LeBron James (7) LeBron James (9) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 24–17 42 January 29, 2006 Phoenix W 113–106 LeBron James (44) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (7) Gund Arena 20,562 25–17 43 January 30, 2006 @ Charlotte W 103–91 LeBron James (30) Drew Gooden (12) Eric Snow (7) Charlotte Bobcats Arena 17,142 26–17
February : 6–8 (home: 4–4; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 1, 2006 New Jersey W 91–85 LeBron James (26) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (10) Gund Arena 19,460 27–17 45 February 2, 2006 @ Miami L 73–101 LeBron James (29) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden (8) LeBron James (7) AmericanAirlines Arena 20,168 27–18 46 February 4, 2006 Philadelphia L 95–100 LeBron James (31) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (6) Gund Arena 20,562 27–19 47 February 6, 2006 Milwaukee W 89–86 LeBron James (22) LeBron James (9) LeBron James (12) Gund Arena 19,126 28–19 48 February 8, 2006 @ Minnesota W 97–91 LeBron James (35) Donyell Marshall (13) LeBron James (8) Target Center 17,093 29–19 49 February 10, 2006 @ Washington L 89–101 LeBron James (18) LeBron James, Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James (8) MCI Center 20,173 29–20 50 February 11, 2006 Golden State L 91–99 LeBron James (33) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8) Damon Jones (7) Gund Arena 20,562 29–21 51 February 13, 2006 San Antonio W 101–87 LeBron James (44) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) Eric Snow (6) Gund Arena 19,486 30–21 52 February 15, 2006 @ Boston W 113–109 (2OT) LeBron James (43) LeBron James (12) LeBron James (11) TD Garden 17,915 31–21 53 February 21, 2006 Orlando W 105–92 LeBron James (26) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 20,562 32–21 54 February 22, 2006 @ Philadelphia L 107–116 LeBron James (33) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden (9) Eric Snow (8) Wachovia Center 20,196 32–22 55 February 24, 2006 Washington L 94–102 LeBron James (25) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 20,562 32–23 56 February 26, 2006 @ Detroit L 78–90 LeBron James (22) LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) LeBron James (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 32–24 57 February 27, 2006 Detroit L 72–84 LeBron James (26) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15) LeBron James (6) Gund Arena 19,286 32–25
March : 10–4 (home: 7–1; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 58 March 1, 2006 Sacramento L 90–97 LeBron James, Ronald Murray, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (19) LeBron James (7) LeBron James (12) Gund Arena 17,363 32–26 59 March 2, 2006 @ Chicago W 92–91 LeBron James (33) LeBron James (11) LeBron James, Eric Snow (8) United Center 20,726 33–26 60 March 5, 2006 Chicago L 72–91 LeBron James (37) Anderson Varejão (13) LeBron James, Eric Snow (7) Gund Arena 20,562 34–26 61 March 7, 2006 Toronto W 106–99 Ronald Murray (24) LeBron James (12) Eric Snow (11) Gund Arena 18,077 35–26 62 March 8, 2006 @ Toronto W 98–97 LeBron James (35) Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall (8) LeBron James, Eric Snow (6) Air Canada Centre 19,800 36–26 63 March 10, 2006 @ Orlando L 73–102 LeBron James (25) Drew Gooden (12) Eric Snow (5) TD Waterhouse Centre 17,283 36–27 64 March 12, 2006 @ Miami L 92–98 LeBron James (47) Drew Gooden (12) LeBron James, Eric Snow (4) AmericanAirlines Arena 20,268 36–28 65 March 14, 2006 @ Dallas L 87–91 LeBron James (36) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13) LeBron James, Eric Snow (5) American Airlines Center 20,425 36–29 66 March 17, 2006 Portland W 99–84 LeBron James (27) Drew Gooden (14) LeBron James, Eric Snow (5) Gund Arena 20,562 37–29 67 March 19, 2006 L.A. Lakers W 96–95 LeBron James (29) Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James (7) Gund Arena 20,562 38–29 68 March 22, 2006 Charlotte W 120–118 (OT) LeBron James (37) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (12) Gund Arena 18,550 39–29 69 March 24, 2006 Boston W 94–82 LeBron James (36) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) LeBron James (8) Gund Arena 20,562 40–29 70 March 26, 2006 @ Houston W 104–102 (OT) LeBron James (36) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden (8) Damon Jones (6) Toyota Center 16,839 41–29 71 March 29, 2006 Dallas W 107–94 LeBron James (46) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9) Eric Snow (5) Gund Arena 19,401 42–29
April : 8–3 (home: 4–0; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 1, 2006 Miami W 106–99 LeBron James (47) LeBron James (12) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 20,562 43–29 73 April 2, 2006 @ Charlotte W 101–97 LeBron James (35) LeBron James (12) LeBron James (8) Charlotte Bobcats Arena 18,491 44–29 74 April 4, 2006 Philadelphia W 124–91 LeBron James (37) Anderson Varejão (14) LeBron James (7) Gund Arena 18,581 45–29 75 April 5, 2006 @ New York L 94–96 LeBron James (36) Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejão (12) LeBron James (7) Madison Square Garden 19,763 45–30 76 April 8, 2006 @ New Jersey W 108–102 LeBron James (37) Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James (7) Continental Airlines Arena 19,048 46–30 77 April 10, 2006 @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City W 103–101 LeBron James (32) Anderson Varejão (8) LeBron James (6) Ford Center 19,187 47–30 78 April 12, 2006 @ Detroit L 73–96 LeBron James (22) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8) Damon Jones (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 47–31 79 April 13, 2006 New York W 91–87 Larry Hughes (26) Zydrunas Ilgauskas (14) Larry Hughes (6) Gund Arena 20,562 48–31 80 April 16, 2006 @ Washington L 92–104 LeBron James (17) Anderson Varejão, Drew Gooden (9) LeBron James, Ronald Murray (4) MCI Center 18,405 48–32 81 April 17, 2006 @ Boston W 93–88 Larry Hughes (21) Larry Hughes (5) Eric Snow (9) TD Garden 18,624 49–32 82 April 19, 2006 Atlanta W 100–99 Ronald Murray (19) Anderson Varejão (18) Ronald Murray (6) Gund Arena 20,562 50–32
2005–06 schedule

Player stats

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

Regular Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
LeBron James	79	79	42.5	48.0%	33.5%	73.8%	1.56	8.4	6.6	7.0	31.4
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	78	78	29.3	50.6%	0.0%	83.4%	.49	1.74	1.2	7.6	15.6
Larry Hughes	36	31	35.6	40.9%	36.8%	75.6%	1.47	.58	3.6	4.5	15.5
Flip Murray	28	25	36.7	44.8%	30.8%	70.2%	1.36	.25	2.8	2.4	13.5
Drew Gooden	79	79	27.5	51.2%	33.3%	68.2%	.66	.62	.7	8.4	10.7
Donyell Marshall	81	0	25.6	39.5%	32.4%	74.8%	.73	.51	.7	6.1	9.3
Damon Jones	82	7	25.5	38.7%	37.7%	64.0%	.45	.01	2.1	1.6	6.7
Eric Snow	82	82	28.8	40.9%	10.0%	68.8%	.93	.23	4.2	2.4	4.8
Anderson Varejão	48	4	15.8	52.7%	0.0%	51.3%	.65	.40	.4	4.9	4.6
Sasha Pavlović	53	19	15.3	41.0%	36.5%	65.3%	.36	.11	.5	1.5	4.5
Stephen Graham	13	0	9.0	42.4%	0.0%	88.9%	.23	.15	.2	1.3	2.8
Luke Jackson	36	0	8.8	34.1%	33.3%	78.8%	.31	.06	.7	1.1	2.7
Alan Henderson	51	3	10.4	51.6%	0.0%	67.3%	.18	.24	.2	2.7	2.5
Zendon Hamilton	11	0	4.2	53.8%	0.0%	68.8%	.03	.00	.0	1.0	2.3
Ira Newble	36	3	9.8	29.3%	23.1%	68.8%	.14	.28	.3	1.6	1.3
Mike Wilks	37	0	6.6	28.8%	14.3%	50.0%	.02	.00	.5	.7	1.1
Martynas Andriuskevicius	6	0	1.5	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.33	.00	.0	.7	0.0

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
LeBron James	13	13	46.5	47.6%	33.3%	73.7%	1.38	.69	5.8	8.1	30.8
Larry Hughes	9	8	37.3	31.9%	27.8%	74.2%	2.20	.11	4.0	3.0	11.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	13	13	27.2	45.4%	0.0%	75.0%	.38	2.08	.8	6.3	10.4
Donyell Marshall	13	0	26.5	43.3%	39.1%	88.2%	.54	.69	.6	5.6	9.5
Drew Gooden	13	13	21.7	52.9%	0.0%	94.4%	.23	.15	.6	7.5	8.2
Flip Murray	13	5	30.7	33.0%	20.8%	81.3%	.69	.15	1.6	3.2	8.1
Anderson Varejão	13	0	18.3	62.0%	0.0%	70.3%	.69	.15	.2	4.5	6.8
Eric Snow	13	13	31.4	42.0%	0.0%	75.9%	.85	.23	2.8	3.3	6.6
Damon Jones	13	0	13.9	30.8%	27.8%	75.0%	.15	.00	.9	1.2	1.8
Ira Newble	5	0	2.2	1.000%	1.000%	0.0%	.20	.00	.0	.4	1.4
Alan Henderson	2	0	4.5	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.0	1.0	0.0
Sasha Pavlović	3	0	1.3	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	.00	.00	.0	.3	0.0

Playoffs

2006 marked the first time LeBron James made the playoffs in his career, and the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp. They came off a playoff series win vs the Wizards, while the Pistons came in off a 4–1 win vs the 8th seeded Bucks. Detroit was expected to win the series, and took a commanding two games to none lead with two wins at the Palace of Auburn Hills. James and the Cavaliers would not be intimidated however, and won their two games at home to tie the series 2–2. Coming into game 5, both teams were confident, but the Pistons were expected to pull out the win easily. The game was low scoring throughout as usual in this series, with Cleveland holding a 68 to 66 lead throughout 3 quarters. With the game tied at 84 with 26 seconds left in regulation, Drew Gooden came through and hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead that they would never squander. James led the Cavs with 32 and this brought the series to Cleveland up 3–2, quite shockingly. Detroit held on to a 2-point win to win game 6, and won game 7 at home to seal the deal, but this was the coming out party for the Cavaliers in the playoffs, scaring the 2004 champs.

2006 playoff game log
First Round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 22 Washington W 97–86 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (11) LeBron James (11) Gund Arena 20,562 1–0 2 April 25 Washington L 84–89 LeBron James (26) Drew Gooden (16) Eric Snow (4) Gund Arena 20,562 1–1 3 April 28 @ Washington W 97–96 LeBron James (41) Ilgauskas, Gooden (8) James, Snow (3) MCI Center 20,173 2–1 4 April 30 @ Washington L 96–106 LeBron James (45) Drew Gooden (11) LeBron James (6) MCI Center 20,173 2–2 5 May 3 Washington W 121–120 (OT) LeBron James (38) Donyell Marshall (11) LeBron James (5) Gund Arena 20,562 3–2 6 May 5 @ Washington W 114–113 (OT) LeBron James (32) Anderson Varejão (10) Larry Hughes (12) MCI Center 20,173 4–2
Conference Semifinals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 7 @ Detroit L 86–113 LeBron James (22) Anderson Varejão (8) James, Murray (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 0–1 2 May 9 @ Detroit L 91–97 LeBron James (30) LeBron James (14) LeBron James (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 0–2 3 May 13 Detroit W 86–77 LeBron James (21) LeBron James (10) LeBron James (10) Gund Arena 20,562 1–2 4 May 15 Detroit W 74–72 LeBron James (22) LeBron James (8) LeBron James (9) Gund Arena 20,562 2–2 5 May 17 @ Detroit W 86–84 LeBron James (32) Donyell Marshall (13) Eric Snow (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 3–2 6 May 19 Detroit L 82–84 LeBron James (32) LeBron James (11) Eric Snow (6) Gund Arena 20,562 3–3 7 May 21 @ Detroit L 61–79 LeBron James (27) LeBron James (8) Larry Hughes (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 3–4
2005–06 schedule

Main article: 2006 NBA Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 14 through November 20.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from January 24 through January 30.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 14 through March 20.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 21 through March 27.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 27 through April 2. He became the first player in NBA history to win the award three consecutive weeks.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of November, the third time he has won the award.
• LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of March, the fourth time he has won the award.
• LeBron James was named to the All-NBA first team. James is the youngest first-teamer in NBA history and only the second Cavalier (Mark Price) to receive the honors.
• LeBron James finished in 2nd place in league MVP voting (Steve Nash).

Records

• On November 19, vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Hughes (37) and LeBron James (36) became the first two teammates in franchise history to score 35 points or more in the same game.
• LeBron James set the franchise single-season record for points with 2,478.
• LeBron James set other franchise records for: scoring average (31.4), field goals made (875), field goals attempted (1873), free throws made (601), and free throws attempted (841).
• LeBron James set the franchise record for points in a single postseason with 400.
• In Game 6 of the Washington Wizards First Round series, the team set a franchise record for bench points with 57.
• LeBron James set the franchise record for points in a single postseason series with 214.
• Mike Brown became the first coach in franchise history to win a playoff series in his first year.
• For the season, LeBron James led the team in scoring for a game 72 times, a franchise record.
• The Cavaliers finished the season 5–0 in overtime games, a franchise record for wins and %.

Milestones

• On November 13, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 4,000 career points (20 years, 318 days).
• On January 21, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 5,000 career points (21 years, 22 days).
• On March 29, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 6,000 career points (21 years, 89 days).
• On April 13, Mike Brown won his 48th game as head coach, the most by a rookie coach in franchise history.
• For the season, LeBron James made 19/29 field goals attempts in the last two minutes of a one-possession game. He led the league in that statistic.

All-Star

• LeBron James came in third in Eastern Conference votes received and was voted in as a starter for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game for the 2nd time in his career. He became the first Cavalier in team history to start multiple All-Star games and the 7th to play in multiple games.
• LeBron James became the youngest All-Star Game MVP in NBA history with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the East's 122–120 win.
• LeBron James participated in the Skills Challenge and finished in 2nd place.
• LeBron James led his team in points, rebounds and assists in a game 16 times, a league-high.

Transactions

Trades

February 23, 2006

To Cleveland Cavaliers Flip Murray

To Seattle SuperSonics Mike Wilks and cash considerations

February 23, 2006

To Cleveland Cavaliers Lee Nailon and a 2nd round pick

To Philadelphia 76ers 2nd round pick

Free agents

Additions Player Date Former team Zendon Hamilton* January 10 Cleveland Cavaliers Stephen Graham** February 24 Chicago Bulls

Subtractions Player Date New team Zendon Hamilton* January 5 Free agent Zendon Hamilton* January 30 Philadelphia 76ers Lee Nailon*** February 24 Philadelphia 76ers

^*Waived by team mid-season and later re-signed to two 10-day contracts.
^**Signed to two successive 10-day contracts and then the remainder of the season.
^***Traded for and then immediately waived before playing in a game.

Development League

• On January 22, Martynas Andriuskevicius was assigned to the NBDL's Arkansas Rimrockers.
• On February 1, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.
• On March 2, Martynas Andriuskevicius was reassigned to the Rimrockers.
• On March 6, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.
• On March 16, Martynas Andriuskevicius was reassigned to the Rimrockers.
• On April 12, Martynas Andriuskevicius was recalled from the Rimrockers.