LA Lakers star, LeBron James just finished his 21st NBA regular season. He’s all set to tackle another playoff matchup against the reigning champions Denver Nuggets. As the Lakers celebrate making it to the playoffs, Bron couldn’t help but reminisce upon his first playoff experience on the latest episode of Mind the Game podcast, along with JJ Redick.

Even though he is the King right now, there have been times when he was actually nervous in the postseason against the Washington Wizards on April 22, 2006, with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He entered the league in 2003, and after waiting for three long years, he finally was in the postseason. He had a lot to prove that year; he was frustrated with the previous two losses and the inability to not even make it to the postseason. JJ Redick asked him what was he going through at the time, to which LeBron said, “I was nervous as f**k. That’s what I remember”.

He further added, “In my third year, we finally made the postseason and our first game was against Washington at home. I was nervous as hell. My stomach was hurting all goddamn along. All day until the ball jump.”

Back in 2006, a young LeBron was 21. Of course, almost a rookie, inexperienced, and about to face legends like Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison. The pressure was perhaps too much for him. So even though his stat line looked “32-11-11” along with a triple-double, Bron and the Cavs took 6 games to get past Washington. However, despite their best efforts, they could not beat Detroit subsequently. Even though they lost as a team, Bron couldn’t be happier for himself. Now that he looks back, he is glad he got to share that experience of getting into his first NBA playoffs at the time.

And all of this came with a lot of retribution from the American media. In the 2006-07 season, media and analysts started questioning his performance. His average was declining to 27. 3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6 assists. People started talking about how he was regressing in terms of passing, he was losing his rhythm, and his shot selection was going down the drain. Of course, it was affecting him mentally. It was emotionally draining and started to show in his efforts and focus on the court. This is probably why he decided to turn the game around, and hence we saw him rising from then on.

LeBron James clashing against Gilbert Arenas in 2006

In 2006, Cleaveland faced Washington, with an inexperienced LeBron James. It was a neck-to-neck matchup, resulting in a 4-2 defeat for Washington. This was the first time he was heading against the likes of Gilbert Arenas, known for their trash-talking tactics at the time.

Right in Game 6 of that series, the Wizards could have managed to get a tie against Cleaveland and won. But, Areans missed an important free throw. This is what cost the Washington Wizards that series. With pressure building up, Bron stood up for his team and tackled Arenas and the team right from the free-throw line. Even when Gilbert took the game to an OT, Bron brought in the best of his psychological warfare, which worked well for them, helping them move to the second round. The 21 YO Bron destroyed the Wizards, and to think of it, someone so young and inexperienced dominated the entire show that year. It was something that’s fully engraved in basketball history – the rising of LeBron James.

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