Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers
founding	1970
history	Cleveland Cavaliers since 1970
Stadion	Cleveland Arena (1970–1974) Richfield Coliseum (1974–1994) Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (since 1994)
Location	Cleveland , Ohio
Club colors	Wine red, gold, blue, white    
league	NBA
Conference	Eastern Conference
division	Central Division
Head coach	JB Bickerstaff
General manager	Koby Altman
owner	Dan Gilbert (majority owner) Gary Gilbert David Katzman Usher Raymond Gordon Gund
Farm teams	Canton Charge
Championships	1 (2016)
Conference title	5 (2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Division title	7 (1975, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Association Icon Statement

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team of the North American professional basketball league NBA . The team plays its home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland , Ohio. The home jersey is white, the away jerseys are red and dark blue.

history

Beginnings of the Cavaliers (1970–1980)

The Cavaliers were inducted into the league in 1970. As expected, the premiere season went badly. The Cavaliers finished the first year with 15 wins and 67 losses. As the worst team, they received the first election in the NBA Draft in 1971 and selected the guard Austin Carr .

Led by Carr, the Cavaliers increased annually, but without reaching the playoffs . In 1975 the team reached sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 40-42. At the time, however, it was not enough for the playoff qualification. A year later they came in second behind the Boston Celtics . They also won the division title. Coach Bill Fitch was named Coach of the Year by the NBA. In the playoffs, however, they were eliminated later in the conference final against the Celtics. The next two years they also reached the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round. In 1979 the playoffs were missed and coach Fitch was fired.

Era under Stepien (1980–1983)

In 1980 the Cavaliers were sold to Ted Stepien. Under Stepien's leadership, the Cavaliers became one of the worst teams in the league. Stepien made controversial personnel decisions in which, for example, he sold many high first-round draft picks to other teams. Thus, no talents could be committed, which harmed the team's success. The NBA was forced to introduce a "Ted Stepien Rule" that restricted the trade in draft picks. Stepien also pursued the plan to play the Cavaliers games not only in Cleveland, but throughout Ohio and to rename the team accordingly in "Ohio Cavaliers".

The lack of success for the team meant that the audience stayed away too. During the 1982-1983 season, an average of 3900 spectators came to the Cavaliers games. With a stadium capacity of 20,000 too little. Stepien considered relocating the team to Toronto . But in 1983 he sold the Cavaliers to the brothers George and Gordon Gund, who kept the team in Cleveland.

Leadership under the Gunds (1983–1986)

The Gunds introduced George Karl as their new coach. After missing the playoffs in 1984, they were reached again in 1985. Despite reaching the playoffs, Karl was replaced by Gene Littles in the middle of the season . The Cavaliers were led by World B. Free , but were eliminated in the first round against the Celtics. The following year, the playoffs were again missed. The coach wear was noticeable. Over the past seven seasons, the Cavs have had a total of nine coaches under contract. In 1986 Lenny Wilkens took over the Cavaliers and began to shape them again into a serious team.

Brad Daugherty (1986-1994)

Arrival of the Quartet (1986–1995)

In the 1986 NBA Draft , the Cavaliers were given primary voting rights and center Brad Daugherty came first. Also got the athletic shooting guard Ron Harper in eighth place and playmaker Mark Price via transfer from the Dallas Mavericks . John Williams, drafted in 1985, completed the young quartet. Of the Phoenix Suns came Larry Nance to Cleveland. This core developed into one of the league's most talented starting lineups, reaching the playoffs in 1988. In 1989 they set a team record with 57 wins and 25 losses. They reached the playoffs again and met the Chicago Bulls around Michael Jordan . However, they were just defeated 3: 2 in the best-of-five series.

During the 1989–1990 season, top scorer Harper was transferred to the Los Angeles Clippers . In return, rookie Danny Ferry moved to Cleveland. In 1990 they also reached the playoffs. 1991 the playoffs were missed. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers won 57 again in 1992 and reached the conference final, where they had to admit defeat to eventual champions Chicago Bulls 4-2. After being eliminated in the 1993 playoffs again against the Bulls, Wilkens announced his departure and moved to the Atlanta Hawks as a coach . Mike Fratello was his successor . The rest of the team also fell apart over the years. Daugherty retired in 1994 due to serious injuries. Larry Nance also resigned in the same year. Mark Price joined the Washington Bullets in 1995 . John Williams, on the other hand, to the Suns. Danny Ferry, who came for Harper, could not meet the high expectations.

Mediocre years (1995-1998)

Despite the many departures, the Cavaliers remained a playoff candidate. The team was now led by Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill . Under Fratello, the team became one of the best defense teams in the league. In 1995 and 1996 they still reached the playoffs, but were eliminated both times in the first round. After missing the playoffs in 1997, Brandon and Hill were sent to the Milwaukee Bucks . In return, Shawn Kemp was received from the Seattle SuperSonics . The previous starters Chris Mills and Bobby Phills also left the team. Derek Anderson , Brevin Knight and Zydrunas Ilgauskas strengthened the team through the drafts . In 1998 they reached the playoffs before the team disappeared into insignificance.

Years in the Lottery (1999-2003)

Fratello was fired in 1999 after an unsuccessful season. Kemp left the team in 2000. In the years to come, talented players like Andre Miller and Carlos Boozer could be signed via the drafts . However, no talent lasted in Cleveland for more than three years. The only constant during this time was the Lithuanian center Ilgauskas. The low point was reached during the 2002/03 season when they had the worst record in the league.

Logo from 2003 to 2010

Arrival of LeBron James (2003-2010)

LeBron James (2003-2010 and 2014-2018)

In the 2003 NBA draft , the Cavaliers hired small forward LeBron James straight from high school. He assumed great responsibility from the very first games and immediately became the Cavaliers' franchise player. Together with Ilgauskas and Boozer, James formed one of the most talented front courts in the league. However, the playoffs could not be reached. In 2004 Boozer left Cleveland for Utah Jazz . Drew Gooden was signed as a replacement . Forward Donyell Marshall was also engaged . The following season they improved again and just missed the playoffs.

In 2005 the Cavaliers were bought by Dan Gilbert . This strengthened the club with Larry Hughes of the Washington Wizards . Mike Brown was presented as the new head coach . The team's star LeBron James played one of the best seasons a player had ever had in the post-Jordan era in the NBA. With 27 points, 7  rebounds and more than 7  assists on average, he achieved very good values for a sophomore . In the 2006/07 season , the "Cavs" were able to reach the Eastern Conference Championship and thus the NBA final , in particular because of an outstanding LeBron James , which clearly scored 0 against the San Antonio Spurs, for their superstar and final MVP Tony Parker : 4 games was lost. In 2007/08 they were eliminated in the Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics with 3: 4 wins.

For the 2008/09 season , the Cavaliers strengthened themselves with point guard Mo Williams , who previously played for the Milwaukee Bucks , and achieved the best record in the league with 66:12 wins. The Cavs reached the Conference Finals, where they were subject to the Orlando Magic to Dwight Howard . This caused the Cavaliers to strengthen themselves in the center position, which happened to veteran Shaquille O'Neal for a year. In addition, Forward Antawn Jamison was hired from the Wizards. Although they recorded the most wins of all teams in the NBA again in 2009/10 with a record of 61:21, they were eliminated in the playoffs in the quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics.

Rebuilding via the draft lottery (2011-2014)

For the 2010/11 season LeBron James left the Cavaliers to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat . The Cavaliers fired coach Mike Brown and his assistant coaches. After a month of searching, the Cavaliers signed former Coach of the Year Byron Scott as their new head coach . Scott should give the Cavaliers a new identity on the field, as the tactics had previously been built around LeBron James and this has not been possible since his move to Miami. However, this changeover did not succeed and the Cavaliers lost 44 of their first 52 games in the 2010/11 season. On February 7, 2011, they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks and with their 25th consecutive loss, the longest losing streak in NBA history. Two days later they had to admit defeat to the Detroit Pistons and thus set the longest losing streak in the history of the four American professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL).

At the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery, the Cavaliers were given the first and fourth pick. The first pick they received during the season together with Baron Davis from the Los Angeles Clippers , the fourth pick was their own. In the 2011 NBA draft , the Cavaliers drafted Kyrie Irving with the first pick and Tristan Thompson with the fourth pick . Both players were seen as the greatest hope since LeBron James left for Miami. Irving in particular was able to live up to the high expectations in his rookie season and was voted NBA Rookie of the Year 2012 and was appointed to the NBA All-Rookie First Team .

In the summer of 2012, the Cleveland Cavaliers again had a high pick in the NBA Draft and secured fourth place Guard Dion Waiters from Syracuse University . In addition, via trade forward Tyler Zeller , who had previously been drafted by the Dallas Mavericks . Another veteran CJ Miles was signed by the Utah Jazz . The season started promisingly, but in the further course the Cavaliers slipped again into the table cellar of the Eastern Conference. The only bright spot was Guard Kyrie Irving's Allstar nomination . The season ended with 24 wins and 58 losses. Shortly after the end of the season, coach Byron Scott was sacked by the Cavaliers.

As his successor, the former head coach of the Cavaliers Mike Brown , who coached the team from 2005 to 2010, was presented. On May 21, Cleveland won the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery, taking first place for the second time in 3 years. Picks 19 (from Los Angeles ), 31 (from Orlando ) and 33 (own second-round pick) also belong to the Cavaliers in this draft.

In the 2013 NBA Draft , the Cavaliers selected Canadian forward Anthony Bennett from the UNLV with the first pick. Furthermore, the Russian Sergey Karasev, selected in 19th place, strengthens the team. In terms of sport, the balance could be improved again in 2013/2014, but 33 wins and 49 defeats were still out of reach of the playoffs. Following the season, the Cavaliers announced the renewed separation from head coach Mike Brown . The reason given was the disappointing athletic performance.

In 2014 the Cavaliers were able to win the draft lottery again and thus vote in first place for the third time in four years. In the 2014 NBA Draft , the Cavs picked Andrew Wiggins, a Canadian from the University of Kansas , with the first pick. A month later, however, Wiggins was transferred to the Minnesota Timberwolves , along with Anthony Bennett, for Kevin Love .

Return of LeBron James, engagement of Kevin Love and first championship (2014-2018)

Kevin Love , Kyrie Irving and LeBron James

On July 10, 2014, LeBron James announced his spectacular return to Cleveland. In addition, the contract with Kyrie Irving could be extended by five years. Together with Love, a new triumvirate should now be created in Cleveland . With Shawn Marion and Mike Miller experienced veterans were signed and with David Blatt a successful coach from Europe was signed. Furthermore, the players JR Smith , Timofei Mosgow and Iman Shumpert were transferred in January 2015 .

On November 15, 2014, the Cavaliers achieved a club record with 19 hit three-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks . In April, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the Central Division title for the first time since 2010. Kyrie Irving also holds the highest number of points per game in the 2014/15 season. The guard managed to score 57 points against the San Antonio Spurs . The Cleveland Cavaliers took second place in the Eastern Conference (NBA) . The Cavs reached the NBA Finals, where they lost 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors .

On January 22, 2016, the Cavaliers parted ways with coach David Blatt , despite leading the Eastern Conference. His successor was the previous assistant coach Tyronn Lue . The Cavaliers qualified with 57 wins as the best team in the east for the NBA playoffs. After playoff victories over the Detroit Pistons , Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors , they moved back to the NBA final. As in the previous year, they met the Golden State Warriors there . The Warriors quickly took a 3-1 lead. The next three games were then won by Cleveland and thus managed to turn the deficit, which the Cavaliers succeeded as the first team in the final in NBA history. LeBron James was named Finals MVP and the Cavaliers became NBA champions for the first time. This was the first championship of a Cleveland-based professional team in 18,802 days (approximately 51.5 years). Most recently, the Cleveland Browns were victorious in the 1964 NFL season .

The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals again in the next season. As in the previous two years, the opponent was again the team of the Golden State Warriors. These proved to be too strong for the Cavaliers , thanks in part to the signing of superstar Kevin Durant , and Cleveland lost the final series 1: 4.

Renewed departure of LeBron James and relapse into sporting insignificance (since 2018)

In early July 2018, LeBron James, the mainstay of the team, left the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for a salary of $ 154 million . After a failed start to the season with six defeats in a row, the Cavaliers dismissed their head coach Tyronn Lue on October 27, 2018. For the time being, assistant coach Larry Drew will take over the team.

Without James and with a younger squad, the Cavaliers went into the 2018/19 season and only got 19 wins. After four finals in a row, the playoffs were clearly missed this time.

Current squad

Cleveland Cavaliers squad for the 2019/20 season (as of June 30, 2020)

player No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 0 Kevin Love Forward 07.09.1988 208 cm UCLA 1 Dante Exum Guard 07/13/1995 198 cm Australia 2 Collin Sexton Guard 01/04/1999 191 cm Alabama 3 Andre Drummond center 08/10/1993 211 cm Connecticut 4th Kevin Porter Jr. Guard 05/04/2000 198 cm R. USC 5 Jordan Bell Forward / Center 07/01/1995 203 cm Oregon 9 Dylan Windler Guard / Forward 09/22/1996 203 cm R / Belmont 10 Darius Garland Guard 01/26/2000 188 cm R. Vanderbilt 13 Tristan Thompson Forward / Center 03/13/1991 206 cm Texas 15th Sir'Dominic Pointer Guard / Forward 05/06/1992 198 cm R. St. John's 16 Cedi Osman Forward 04/08/1995 203 cm Turkey 18th Matthew Dellavedova Guard 09/08/1990 191 cm Saint Mary's 22nd Larry Nance Jr. Forward / Center 01/01/1993 206 cm Wyoming 28 Alfonzo McKinnie Forward 09/17/1992 203 cm Green Bay 31 Matt Mooney Guard 02/07/1995 191 cm G / R Texas Tech 32 Dean Wade Forward 11/20/1996 208 cm R. Kansas State 41 Ante Žižić center 01/04/1997 212 cm Croatia

Coaches Nat. Surname position JB Bickerstaff Head coach Antonio Lang Assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb Assistant coach Dan Geriot Assistant coach Mike Gerrity Assistant coach Steve Spiro Training and rehabilitation Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract Inactivity due to injury

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

Center Žydrūnas Ilgauskas

Center Ben Wallace

Guard Larry Hughes

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned

No.	Nat.	Surname	position	time
7th		Bobby Smith	Guard / Forward	1970-1979
11		Žydrūnas Ilgauskas	center	1996-2010
22nd		Larry Nance	Forward	1988-1994
25th		Mark Price	Guard	1986-1995
34		Austin Carr	Guard	1971-1980
42		Nate Thurmond	center	1975-1977
43		Brad Daugherty	center	1986-1994

Members of the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame

Nat.	Surname	position	time
	Lenny Wilkens	Guard trainer	1972-1974 1986-1993
	Nate Thurmond	center	1976/77
	Walt Frazier	Guard	1977-1980

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
LeBron James	Los Angeles Lakers
Brad Daugherty	Career ended
Baron Davis	Career ended
Ricky Davis	Career ended
Drew Gooden	Career ended
Ron Harper	Career ended
Larry Hughes	Career ended
Andre Miller	Career ended
Antawn Jamison	Career ended
Larry Nance	Career ended
Ben Wallace	Career ended
John Williams	Career ended
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas	Career ended
Shaquille O'Neal	Career ended
Mark Price	Career ended
Eric Snow	Career ended
Wally Szczerbiak	Career ended
Anthony Parker	Career ended
Shawn Kemp	Career ended
Danny Ferry	Career ended
World B. Free	Career ended
Terrell Brandon	Career ended
Dwyane Wade	Career ended
Derrick Rose	Detroit Pistons
Kyrie Irving	Brooklyn Nets

statistics

Team records (as of February 12, 2018)

Type of service	Record value	player
Games	822	LeBron James
Points	22,317	LeBron James
Rebounds	5,927	LeBron James
Assists	5,973	LeBron James
Blocked shots	1,269	Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
Steals	1,346	LeBron James

National Basketball Association seasons (as of March 2020)

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Play-offs
1970/71	15:67	18.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
1971/72	23:59	28.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1972/73	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1973/74	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1974/75	40:42	48.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1975/76	49:33	59.8	2-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics
1976/77	43:39	52.4	1: 2 in the first round against the Washington Bullets
1977/78	43:39	52.4	0-2 in the first round against the New York Knicks
1978/79	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1979/80	37:45	45.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
1980/81	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
1981/82	15:67	18.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
1982/83	23:59	28.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1983/84	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
1984/85	36:46	43.9	1: 3 in the first round against the Boston Celtics
1985/86	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1986/87	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1987/88	42:40	51.2	2: 3 in the first round against the Chicago Bulls
1988/89	57:25	69.5	2: 3 in the first round against the Chicago Bulls
1989/90	42:40	51.2	2: 3 in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers
1990/91	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
1991/92	57:25	69.5	2-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls
1992/93	54:28	65.9	0-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls
1993/94	47:35	57.3	0-3 in the first round against the Chicago Bulls
1994/95	43:39	52.4	1: 3 in the first round against the New York Knicks
1995/96	47:35	57.3	0: 3 in the first round against the New York Knicks
1996/97	42:40	52.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1997/98	47:39	57.3	1: 3 in the first round against the Indiana Pacers
1998/99	22:60	26.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1999/00	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2000/01	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
2001/02	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2002/03	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2003/04	35:47	42.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2004/05	42:40	51.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2005/06	50:32	61.0	3-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons
2006/07	50:32	61.0	0-4 in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs
2007/08	45:37	54.1	3-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics
2008/09	66:16	80.5	2-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando Magic
2009/10	61:21	74.4	2-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics
2010/11	19:63	23.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2011/12	21:45	31.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2012/13	24:58	29.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2013/14	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2014/15	53:29	64.6	2-4 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors
2015/16	57:25	69.5	NBA champions 4-3 against the Golden State Warriors
2016/17	51:31	62.2	1: 4 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors
2017/18	50:32	61.0	0-4 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors
2018/19	19:63	23.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2019/20	19:46	29.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
total	1867: 2168	46.3	123: 106 in the playoffs (53.7%) 1 NBA championship

Web links

Commons : Cleveland Cavaliers  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Cleveland Cavaliers
• Official squad of the team

Individual evidence

1. ↑ NBA Finals 2010 without Cleveland ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ LeBron leaves the Cavaliers ( Memento of the original from July 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ^ Cavaliers Extend NBA's Longest Losing Streak
4. ↑ Historical series of defeats in the USA
5. ↑ : Cleveland Cavaliers Draft Picks 2011: Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson Usher In New Era
6. ^ Cavs win Lottery
7. ↑ si.com
8. ↑ espn.go.com
9. ↑ cleveland.com
10. ↑ cleveland.suntimes.com ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ nba.com ( Memento of the original from April 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
12. ↑ LeBron gives Cavs the title
13. ↑ Daryl Ruiter: The Comeback: Cavs Give Cleveland Long Awaited Crown. CBS, June 20, 2016, accessed June 22, 2016 : “After 52 years. After 144 seasons. After 18,802 days. The Cleveland Cavaliers are world champions. The drought is over, the weight has been lifted and the 1964 Cleveland Browns are no longer the answer to a trivia question. No longer is Cleveland professional sports' 'Mistake by the Lake.' Curses be damned. Cleveland is now the City of Champions. " 
14. ↑ LeBron James goes to the Lakers. In: spiegel.de. Spiegel Online , July 2, 2018, accessed October 29, 2018 . 
15. ^ NBA News - Cleveland Cavaliers fire head coach Tyronn Lue. In: spox.com . October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018 . 
16. ↑ Cavalier's Player Records