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Cleveland Cavaliers

 
Wikipedia: Cleveland Cavaliers
 
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers logo
Conference Eastern Conference
Division Central Division
Founded 1970
History Cleveland Cavaliers
(1970–present)
Arena Quicken Loans Arena
formerly Gund Arena
City Cleveland, Ohio
Team colors Wine, gold, white, navy blue
                   
Owner(s) Dan Gilbert
Gary Gilbert
David Katzman
Usher Raymond[1]
Gordon Gund
General manager Danny Ferry
Head coach Mike Brown
D-League affiliate Erie BayHawks
Championships 0
Conference titles 1 (2007)
Division titles 2 (1976, 2009)
Official website cavs.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.

Contents

Franchise history

1970–1980: Expansion and early hope

The Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Playing their home games at Cleveland Arena under the direction of head coach Bill Fitch, they compiled a league-worst 15–67 record. The team hoped to build around the number one 1971 draft pick Austin Carr who had set numerous scoring records at Notre Dame, but Carr severely injured his leg shortly into his pro career and did not recover sufficiently to become a great pro player.

The following seasons saw the Cavaliers gradually improve their on-court performance, thanks to season-by-season additions of talented players such as Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Jim Cleamons and Dick Snyder. Cleveland improved to 23–59 in their sophomore season, followed by a 32–50 record in 1972–73, and a small step backwards to 29–53 in 1973–74. In 1974, the Cavaliers moved into the brand-new Richfield Coliseum, located in a rural area thirty miles south of downtown Cleveland in Summit County (now part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park). That season, the Cavaliers finished with a 40–42 record, falling just short of a playoff berth.

In the 1975–76 season with Carr, Smith, Chones, Snyder, and newly acquired Nate Thurmond; Fitch led the Cavaliers to a 49–33 record and a division title. Fitch received the league's Coach of the Year award as the Cavs made their first-ever playoff appearance.

The Cavs won the series against the Washington Bullets, 4–3. Because of the many heroics and last-second shots, the series became known locally as the "Miracle of Richfield." However, hampered by injuries, particularly to Jim Chones, the Cavs proceeded to lose to the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs.

Cleveland won 43 games the next two seasons (1976–77 and 1977–78), but both those seasons resulted in early playoff exits. After a 30–52 season in 1978–79, Fitch resigned as head coach. The following season, after going 37–45 under Fitch's successor Stan Albeck, original owner Mileti sold his shares to minority owner Joe Zingale.

1980–1983: The Stepien years

In 1980, after just a few months, Zingale sold the team to Nationwide Advertising magnate Ted Stepien. The new owner oversaw the hiring and firing of a succession of coaches and was involved in making a number of poor trade and free agent signing decisions. The result of Stepien's questionable trading acumen was the loss of several of the team's first-round draft picks, which led to a rule change in the NBA prohibiting teams from trading away first-round draft picks in consecutive years. This rule is known as the "Ted Stepien Rule."

Early on in his tenure, Stepien proposed to rename the team the "Ohio Cavaliers", part of a plan that included playing their home games not just in the Cleveland area but also in Cincinnati and in non-Ohio markets such as Buffalo, New York and Pittsburgh. He also introduced a polka-flavored fight song, which was widely-ridiculed by fans and the media.[citation needed]

The ensuing chaos was reflected by the Cavs' on-court performance and attendance woes, going 28–54 in 1980–81 (Stepien's first year as owner), followed by an abysmal 15–67 mark in 1981–82. The 1981–82 team lost its last 19 games of the season which, when coupled with the five losses at the start of the 1982–83 season, constitute the NBA's all-time longest losing streak at 24 games. Although the team improved its record to 23–59 the following year, local support for the Cavs eroded which eventually bottomed out that year by averaging only 3,900 fans a game at the cavernous Coliseum which seated more than 20,000. Stepien threatened to move the franchise to Toronto and rename it the Toronto Towers, but brothers George and Gordon Gund purchased the franchise in the mid 1980s and decided to keep the team in Cleveland. (In 1993, Toronto would, in fact, get an expansion franchise, the Toronto Raptors.) Two years later, the Gunds changed the team colors from wine and gold to burnt orange, red and navy blue. Also, the team officially adopted "Cavs" as a shorter nickname for marketing purposes; it had been used unofficially by fans and headline writers since the team's inception.

1983–1993: A new look

Under George Karl, the Cavs returned to the playoffs in 1985, only to lose to the eventual Eastern Conference Champions Boston Celtics in the first round. The team was in transition, led by World B. Free, Roy Hinson and John Bagley. But in 1986, Karl was fired after 66 games. Interim head coach Gene Littles guided the team the rest of the way, which saw the Cavs finish just one game short of the playoffs. After the season, it was time to restructure the team.

In 1986, under the Gund brothers as owners, the team acquired, either through trades or the draft, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance. These four players (until Harper was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989 for the rights to Danny Ferry) formed the core of the team, under the direction of head coach Lenny Wilkens, that led the Cavs to eight playoff seasons in the next nine years, including three 50+ win seasons.

However, in 1989, the Cavs were paired against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. In the fourth game of the best-of-five-series, Cleveland managed to beat the Bulls in overtime 108–105 to level the series at 2–2. Home court advantage went to Cleveland. The game was evenly matched, until Cleveland managed to score on a drive and raise the lead by one, with three seconds left. Chicago called for a time-out. The ball was inbounded to Michael Jordan, who went for a jump shot. Cleveland's Craig Ehlo jumped in front to block it, but Jordan seemed to stay in the air until Ehlo landed. "The Shot" went in as time ran out, with Chicago winning the series 3–2. Although replay would show that Jordan cleared Ehlo with his arm in order to get an open look, the buzzer-beater is considered one of Jordan's greatest clutch moments, and the game itself one of the greatest. But the pinnacle of the Cavs' success came in the 1991–92 season, when they compiled a 57–25 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing again to the Chicago Bulls 4–2.

1993–2003: A long struggle

Soon after, the Cavaliers entered into a period of decline. With the retirements and departures of Nance, Daugherty and Price, the team lost much of its dominance and were no longer able to contest strongly during the playoffs. After the 1992–93 season, in which the Cavs boasted a 54–28 regular-season record but suffered an early exit from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Chicago Bulls, Wilkens left to coach the Atlanta Hawks.

Following the hiring of Mike Fratello as head coach starting with the 1993–94 season, the Cavs became one of the NBA's best defensive teams under the leadership of point guard Terrell Brandon. But the offense, which was a half-court, "slow-down" tempo installed by Fratello, met with mixed success. Although the Cavaliers made regular playoff appearances, they were unable to advance beyond the first round.

In 1994, the Cavs moved back to downtown Cleveland with the opening of the 20,562-seat, state-of-the-art, Gund Arena. Known by locals as "the Gund", the venue also served as the site of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game.

Later on, players like Shawn Kemp and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas added quality to the team, but without further success. Fratello was fired following the shortened 1998–99 season.

Despite the arrivals of Andre Miller, Brevin Knight, Chris Mihm and Carlos Boozer, the Cavs were a perennial lottery team for the early part of the 2000s. The 2002-03 team finished with the third-worst record in franchise history (17-65), paving the way for a hometown savior to resurrect the franchise.

An all time low for the Cavs was set by Ricky Davis on March 16, 2003. With Cleveland ahead in the game 120–95, Davis was one rebound short of a triple-double with only a few seconds left on the clock. After receiving an inbound pass at the Cavs' end of the floor, Davis banged the ball off the rim and caught it in attempt to receive credit for a rebound. Utah's DeShawn Stevenson took offense to this breach of sportman's etiquette and immediately fouled Davis hard.[2] The play did not count as a rebound since firing at your own team's basket does not count as a shot attempt, and in fact is a technical foul under NBA rules. However, since the referees had never seen anyone shoot at their own basket before, they were unfamiliar with the rule and play was allowed to continue. This and countless other selfish acts contributed to the Cavs trading of Davis later that year, and ushering in a new type of team.[3]

2003 – present: The LeBron James Era

High school phenom James was selected 1st overall in 2003.

Several losing seasons followed which saw the Cavaliers drop to the bottom of the league and become a perennial lottery draft team. After another disappointing season in 2002–03, the Cavaliers landed the number one draft pick in the NBA Lottery. The Cavaliers selected high school phenomenon and future NBA MVP LeBron James. Also in 2003, the team colors were changed from burnt orange, red and navy blue back to wine and gold along with a new primary logo.

James' status as both an area star (having played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron) and as one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history led many to view his selection as a turning point in the franchise's history. Embraced by Clevelanders as "King James," the 2003–04 season offered great hope for the future, as James rose to become a dominating player, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Hope was even greater for the 2004–05 season. James increased his production in terms of points, rebounds, and assists per game. Despite the loss of Carlos Boozer in the offseason, James teamed with Žydrūnas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden to form the core of the team. After a promising start, the Cavs began a downward spiral that eventually led to the firing of coach Paul Silas and general manager Jim Paxson. The team failed to make the playoffs that year, tied with New Jersey Nets for the final playoff spot, however the Nets owned the tiebreaker.

Cleveland Cavaliers versus Chicago Bulls in the Quicken Loans Arena in 2006

The Cavaliers made many changes in the 2005 offseason. Under new owner Dan Gilbert, the team hired a new head coach, Mike Brown, and a new general manager, former Cavaliers forward Danny Ferry. The team experienced success on the court in the following season, clinching their first playoff appearance since 1998. After a first round win over the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers rebounded from a 0-2 deficit in the second round against the Detroit Pistons, winning three consecutive games to come one game away from the conference finals. However, they lost a close Game 6 at home, and followed it with a 79–61 loss in Game 7. The playoff rounds were a showcase for the emergence of LeBron James, who achieved many "youngest ever to..." records during the run.

The Cavs continued their success in the 2006–07 season. The team earned the second seed in the East with a 50–32 record, generating a series of favorable matchups in the playoffs. They battled 7th-seeded Wizards, who struggled with injuries near the end of the season. The Cavaliers swept this series 4–0 , and defeated the New Jersey Nets, 4–2, in the second round.

The Cavaliers faced the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Final. After again losing the first two games at Detroit, the Cavaliers won the next three to take a 3–2 series lead. This time, the Cavaliers eliminated Detroit in Game 6. The wins included a 109–107 double-overtime game at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Game 5, in which LeBron James scored the last 25 points for the Cavs, and his performance in this game is recognized as one of the best in NBA history. They continued to a dominant 98–82 win at home in Game 6. Rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson scored a career-high 31 points in the series clincher, and the franchise won its first ever Eastern Conference championship. The team's first trip to the NBA Final was a short one, as they were outmatched and outplayed by the very strong San Antonio Spurs, who swept the Cavs 4–0.

The Cavs took a step back in the 2007–08 season. They battled injuries and had many roster changes, including a three team trade at the trade deadline in which the team acquired Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, and Delonte West. The Cavs finished 45–37 and lost in the second round of the playoffs. In the 2008 off-season, the team made a major change to its lineup, trading Damon Jones and Joe Smith for point guard Mo Williams. This trade was made in hopes of bringing another scorer to aid James. In the next season, the Cavs made astounding progress, finishing with a record of 66–16, making this the winningest season in the franchise's history. The year also marked other notable franchise records. Such records include winning streak and road and home record. The Cavs entered the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NBA with home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They finished the season 39–2 at home, one win short of the best all-time home record. Head Coach Mike Brown won NBA Coach of the Year honors and LeBron James finished second in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and won the NBA MVP.

The Cavs began the 2009 postseason by sweeping the 8th-seeded Detroit Pistons 4–0, winning every game by 10 or more points. In the conference semifinals, the Cavaliers faced the 4th-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who had defeated the Miami Heat in seven games. Despite the Cavaliers' long layoff between the series they swept the Hawks 4–0, again winning each game by at least ten points, becoming the first team in NBA history to win eight straight playoff games by a double-digit margin. The Cavs then lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they met the Orlando Magic. The Cavs lost game 1 of the series 107-106 at home despite James' 49-point effort. They won game 2 96-95 on a James buzzer beating three pointer, but would go on to lose the series 4-2 after a 103-90 defeat in Game 6 in Orlando. [4] On June 25, 2009, Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Cavaliers. The trade sent Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix along with the 46th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and $500,000 in cash considerations.[5]

Season-by-season records

Logos and Uniforms

The Cavaliers' uniforms switched from blue, black and orange jerseys to wine and gold jerseys in 2003. The team's original colors were wine and gold, were changed to orange and blue during the mid-1980s, and to blue, black and orange in the mid-1990s.

The home uniform is white with wine lettering on the name, navy blue numbers, and wine and gold trim with white socks and shoes.

The road uniform is wine colored with white lettering on the name and number, and gold trim with black socks and shoes.

The alternate uniform (worn both home and road) is navy blue with white letters and numbers and a wine, gold, and navy blue checkerboard trim, with white socks and shoes. The checkerboard trim is a tribute to the mid-1970s Cavaliers uniforms.

In 2008–2009, The Cavaliers wore retro uniforms during selected "Hardwood Classic" home games (as well as some road games) styled after their uniforms from their inaugural season of 1970–71. These uniforms are gold with wine colored trim featuring wine lettering on the name and number with white socks and shoes. There is also an alternate version of the retro uniform, which is royal blue with wine and gold trim, gold lettering on the name and number, with white socks and shoes.

Home arenas

Cleveland Arena (1970–1974)
Coliseum at Richfield (1974–1994)
Quicken Loans Arena (formerly called Gund Arena) (1994–present)

The Quicken Loans Arena created some notoriety when it added the DIFF to the scoreboard—the difference between the two teams' scores. This scoreboard addition made such an impact that Tom Batiuk, author of the comic strip, Crankshaft, created a Sunday morning entry "honoring" (or lamenting?) it. Quicken Loans, also owned by Dan Gilbert, began the Quicken Loans blog, themed, "What's the DIFF," pointing out "the DIFF" between "average and excellent." The blog, of course honored Crankshaft's lament of the DIFF.

Cleveland Clinic Courts

In 2007 the Cavaliers opened their new state-of-the-art practice facility, Cleveland Clinic Courts, in Independence, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. It features many extravagant luxuries, 2 courts, a team meeting room, front office offices, as well as a kitchen among other features. Cleveland Clinic Courts replaces the former 1-court center the team used within Quicken Loans Arena.

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

  • Nate Thurmond – Player 1985 (Former player 1975–1977)
  • Walt Frazier – Player 1987 (Former player 1977–1980)
  • Lenny Wilkens – Player 1989 and Coach 1998 (Former player (1972–1974) and coach (1986–1993)
  • Chuck Daly – Coach 1994 (Former coach 1981–1982)
  • Wayne Embry Contributor 1999 (Former team president and G.M. (1986–1999) and first African American to serve in that role in the NBA)

Retired numbers

Current roster

Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
G/F -- Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Eyenga, Christian (DP) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Congo DR
G 1 Flag of the United States Gibson, Daniel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Texas
G/F 14 Flag of the United States Green, Danny (DP) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) North Carolina
F/C 21 Flag of the United States Hickson, J. J. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) North Carolina State
C 11 Flag of Lithuania Ilgauskas, Žydrūnas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Lithuania
F/C 00 Flag of the United States Jackson, Darnell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 253 lb (115 kg) Kansas
F 23 Flag of the United States James, LeBron (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH)
G/F 8 Flag of the United States Kinsey, Tarence 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 189 lb (86 kg) South Carolina
C 33 Flag of the United States O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) Louisiana State
G -- Flag of the United States Parker, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Bradley
F -- Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Preldžič, Emir (DP) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Bosnia and Herzegovina
F/C 17 Flag of Brazil Varejão, Anderson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Brazil
G 13 Flag of the United States West, Delonte 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Saint Joseph's
F 31 Flag of the United States Williams, Jawad 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 218 lb (99 kg) North Carolina
PG 2 Flag of the United States Williams, Maurice 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

RosterTransactions
Last transaction: 2009-06-26

International rights

PF Flag of Nigeria Ejike Ugboaja 2006 NBA Draft 55th pick
C Flag of Russia Sasha Kaun 2008 NBA Draft 56th pick
G/F Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian Eyenga 2009 NBA Draft 30th pick
SF Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Emir Preldžič 2009 NBA Draft 57th pick

Coaches and others

Coaches

High points

Franchise leaders

Career

* Active (through 2008–2009 regular season)

Per game

Per 48 minutes

Individual awards

NBA Most Valuable Player

NBA Rookie of the Year

NBA Coach of the Year

NBA Coach of the Month

NBA Executive of the Year

NBA All-Rookie First Team

NBA All-Rookie Second Team

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

NBA All-Defensive First Team

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

NBA Player of the Month

  • LeBron James – November 2004,
    January 2005, November 2005,
    March 2006, March 2007,
    January 2008, February 2008,
    November 2008, January 2009,
    March 2009, April 2009

NBA All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star Game

* Starter

Long Distance Shootout

Slam Dunk Contest

Skills Challenge

Rookie Challenge

Two Ball Contest

Media

Radio

WTAM (AM 1100), a news/talk station in Cleveland, is the flagship of a 16 station Cavaliers radio network.[6] Select games can be heard on hot talk/rock station WMMS (FM 100.7) when there is a conflict with the Cleveland Indians. All playoff games air on WTAM, and any conflicted Indians games go to WMMS.

Veteran broadcaster Joe Tait has served as the team's radio play-by-play announcer since its inception in 1970, with a brief break away from the team in the period when it was owned by Ted Stepien. Tait is considered one of the prominent announcers in professional sports. On March 26, 2008, Tait was honored by the organization for calling his 3,000th Cleveland Cavaliers game.[7]

WTAM morning co-host/sports director Mike Snyder hosts the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, and fills in for Tait when he is out. Producer/reporter Scott Zurella is also featured during pre and postgame coverage. Former Cavaliers center and color analyst Jim Chones joins Snyder for the postgame show.[8]

Television

The vast majority of Cavaliers' TV games air on cable and satellite on FSN Ohio, with select games (both regular season and playoffs) simulcast on WUAB (Channel 43) in Cleveland, the longtime free TV home of the Cavs. Channel 43 has aired games from 1973 to 1987, and from 1994 to present. WOIO Channel 19 served as the Cavs TV flagship from 1987–1994.

Play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod and analyst Austin Carr, a former Cavaliers star, handle local TV commentary. Veteran Cleveland sportscaster Jeff Phelps and former Cavaliers star Campy Russell host the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows.

Mascots

Moondog

Moondog is the official mascot of the Cavaliers. Like a growing number of NBA Mascots, the character has a unique connection not just to the team, but to city or area. Cleveland is known worldwide as the rock and roll city, due to famed Cleveland radio disc jockey Alan Freed, who popularized the phrase "rock and roll", breaking new ground and sparking a music explosion.

Freed called himself the "Moondog", and his listeners were "Moondoggers". When the Cavaliers looked to create a new mascot which represents the city, Moondog was a natural selection. Like Alan Freed, the mascot aims to be innovative, fun-loving, passionate and controversial.

Moondog was an NBA All-Star selection in 2003 and 2004. He is best known for his behind the back half-court shot and fierce loyalty to his Cavaliers. His first appearance was on November 5, 2003.

Whammer

Whammer

Whammer is the former mascot of the Cavs. He is a polar bear who is said to have grown up in the tundra. He still makes various appearances throughout the year at Cavalier games. At halftime he would dunk the ball into the basket. He made his debut in a November 9, 1995 game against the Chicago Bulls. Recently when Moondog, the current Cavaliers mascot was asked what Whammer was up to these days he responded "He e-mails the braintrust of the Cavs about twice a week trying to get his old job back. I throw him a bone occasionally and invite him back, mostly to mock him. Finally he's good for a laugh."[9]

References

External links


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