But a strong rookie season and a fairy-tale playoff run last spring made “Boobie” a household name and the toast of the town on the North Coast. Now, the man with the million-dollar smile looks to lead the Cavaliers back from an 0-2 deficit to last season’s heights.

Last season’s success ensured that Gibson won’t be sneaking up on anyone in this year’s postseason. This year, he came back from a late-season ankle injury just in time to solidify the Cavaliers’ backcourt heading into the Second Season. He averaged 11.8 ppg in the First Round against Washington, with his 22 points in the deciding Game 6 propelling the Cavaliers into the Second Round.

But against Boston, Boobie is matched up against a familiar foe, Rajon Rondo.

“I’ve been playing against Rondo for a long time,” said Gibson. “We didn’t get to play against each other in college, but AAU, high school All-Star games – we’ve been playing each other for a while.”

How has the matchup gone through the years?

“It’s been a toss-up,” smiled Boobie. “One time, he’ll have a great game. One time, I’ll have a great game. It’s been back and forth for as long as I remember.”

Along with Delonte West, the sophomore from Texas will be asked to run the show and spread the floor for the Cavaliers. In Game 1 against Boston, Gibson finished with seven points – going 2-for-6 from the floor with a three-pointer in 24 minutes of action off the bench. On Thursday, he added just two points in 20 uneventful minutes. And besides having to deal with Rondo, the young guard was forced to work on wily veteran, Sam Cassell – who got the best of Boobie in both games in Boston.

But Gibson has done some of his best work under the brightest lights, facing long odds against the toughest defenses. After all, he made his mark last spring against the battle-tested Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals – scoring 31 points in the deciding Game 6 that sent the Cavaliers to the Finals for the first time in franchise history.

But if the Wine and Gold want a rematch with Detroit, they’ll have to go through this year’s toughest defensive team.

“I think (Boston) just does a good job of everything,” praised Gibson. “They have a lot of guys on the floor with a lot of athleticism. They cover a lot of ground to make up for any mistake, so really they just do a great job of covering for each other.”

Boston held Cleveland to 30 percent shooting on Tuesday night and followed that by clamping down on the Cavaliers even tighter on Thursday night at the Garden. After shooting 52 percent in the first quarter, the Celtics held Cleveland to just 27 percent over the final three.

Boobie isn’t overly concerned by his and the Cavaliers’ early struggles. He’s been there before.

Last season, the Wine and Gold lost their first two games to Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals before roaring back to take the next four. Boobie was a huge part of that resurgence and he’ll have to be again if the Cavaliers are to extend their season.

“I’m just more relaxed, being around for a season,” said Gibson, of his playoff resumé. “Getting that experience made me realize what it was all about, and the value of possessions. I’ve experienced it and now I know what I’m getting into. I just have to figure out where my shots are going to come from.

“Sometimes it takes a game or two to realize what a team’s doing and figure it out from there.”

Boobie will be one of the big keys for Cleveland if they’re going to turn their Second Round series with Boston around. He’s had his “game or two” to figure it out – now it’s time to go to work.