The Cavs team started in 1970 under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Their first season was coached by Bill Fitch, and they completed the season with the worst record in the league. In 1971, Cleveland got the first overall pick in the NBA draft, which they used to select their first all star player, Austin Carr.
Darius Garland jersey besides an issue of 'The Sword'
Cleveland sign next to Lake Erie
The team made it to their first division championship in the 1975-76 season. With stars Bobby Smith, Austin Carr and Nate Thurmond, they won the seven-game series against the Washington Bullets and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in a six-game match.
The next two seasons for the Cavs led them to be in the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round both times.
The Cavs had a dry spell for eight years, between seasons 1978-79 and 1986-87. This was mainly due to a bad head coach and poor front-office decisions. In 1985, they hired Lenny Wilkens for their head coach and Wayne Embry as the team’s general manager, which largely improved their defense.
They then went on to win 42 games in the 1987-88 season with centre Brad Daugherty, forward Larry Nance and guard Mark Price. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Micheal Jordan and the Bulls.
In the 1988-89 season, the Cavaliers got a then-franchise best 57-25 game record, which was second NBA Central Division. They went against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, where Micheal Jordan hung in midair as he made the iconic buzzer-beating basket, now known as ‘The Shot.’
The Cavs played at the Coliseum from 1974-1994, where they then moved to a new arena in downtown Cleveland.
Between the 1992-93 and 1997-98 seasons, they made it to the playoffs five times, but only made it past the first round once, where they once again lost to the Bulls in the Conference Semifinal. After this, for the next six seasons, the Cavs posted losing records. In 2002-03, they finished in last place with a record of 17-65.
Just like in 1971, the Cleveland Cavaliers got the first selection in the 2003 NBA draft, which they used to select LeBron James. They made their first Finals appearance in 2007 where they were swept by the Spurs.
The next two seasons, they had the best record in the NBA, but lost to the Magic and the Celtics in the playoffs.
LeBron signed with the Miami Heat in 2010 and told the world on national television that he was leaving, which crushed Cavs fans and his team. He hadn’t told anyone his decision, not even his teammates or coaches, so it came as a devastating surprise to the world.
The next four seasons were rough, but the Cavs won the top draft pick three out of the four years.
Cleveland’s team, headlined by Kyrie Irving, intrigued LeBron to come back to the team when he was a free agent in 2014. They then traded for power forward Kevin Love.
In the 2014-15 season, the Cavs were the second seed in their Conference. Even though they suffered some injuries, Love suffered a season-ending injury in their fourth playoff game and Irving broke his kneecap, LeBron was able to lead them to the Finals once again. They lost to the Warriors in a six-game series.
In 2016, it was finally the time all Cleveland Cavalier fans had been waiting for. They were in the Finals with the Warriors once again and were losing 3-1. The Cavs made history, being the first team to ever come back from that deficit. They won in a seven-game series and finally got their very first NBA championship.
The next two seasons, they faced the Warriors in the Finals again. They lost in five in the playoffs one year and were swept the other. Kyrie left in the 2016 offseason and Lebron left for the Lakers in 2018.
After they left, the Cavs weren’t very good, but they have gotten better since the addition of new players including Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They are currently third in the East and are on track to being in the playoffs once again.
Cleveland Cavaliers Top 5 Players:
1. LeBron James
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Larry Nance
4. Austin Carr
5. Brad Daugherty
Photo credit: Cameron Kingsley
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